First Loves
by Yashal
Summary: Watch one first love as it unfolds and begins to blossom and another that's been around for the entirety of the lives of its inhabitants but continues to grow. Pokemon. Yaoi. Palletshipping. Aceshipping.
1. Awakening

Intro/a few notes:

Hi ^.^ After a few years of considering trying to write a fic, I'm finally attempting it! It's going to be something, considering it's based on a very minor character interaction from Sun/Moon's post game shenanigans. Bear with me, as it's my first fic and it's largely going to be me attempting to create something from nothing.

-The POV character will be referred to as "Aiden" but basically he's the player character in Sun/Moon. Aiden was the name I used in Moon. I may throw in some of my views/personality but it'll largely be based on the player character and his experiences and all that good stuff.

-I'm going to refer to the main pairing of this fic as #aceshipping. I really hope that isn't already a thing HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

-Disclaimer: I own nothing, let alone Pokemon. This is just for fun. Woo!

—

I wandered the Poni Plains alone. I didn't mind that I was by myself; in a way, I was used to traveling solo, though I liked that I occasionally ran into my good friends Hau and Lillie. I did miss those two, especially Lillie. Hau was still in Alola after all and I ran into him every once in awhile. Lillie, however, I hadn't seen since she departed for Kanto several months ago. I wondered how everything was going there; how her mother, Lusamine was doing. But at the moment, I wasn't worrying about these things; I was too busy being awestruck by the beautiful open plains and thinking about the strong trainers that lay ahead. That aside, I was never alone, truly. Not as long as I had the memories I've shared with my best friends, Hau and Lillie, over the last year or so since I moved to Alola. That and my Pokemon. Oh, how I love them so.

Moving forward, I could feel the energy and motivation as it began to flow through my veins. I welcomed this feeling; after becoming Champion, it's easy to get complacent. I needed a goal to keep myself moving forward, lest I grow bored of the life. I honestly wasn't even sure what I was getting myself into (I mostly came here at the urging of my Rotom-Dex), but I didn't care. I was ready; this was happening. Whatever "this" was.

Almost immediately, a trainer caught my eye. A strapping young man, a few years my elder, he was dressed…well, like an Ace Trainer. He didn't necessarily seem to be looking for a fight, as is the case with most trainers, though. Calmly, albeit with slight apprehension, I approached the trainer. The older boy spoke with a hint of a Kalosian accent. "You want a rendezvous with me? Then you must become the number two trainer in the Poni Plains!"

"Excuse you? I am the Champion of Alola! The first, I might add!", I responded, slightly indignant. How could he not know?

"Oh really?", the other boy responded with a knowing smirk. "Then I'm sure I'll be seeing you again soon. You know what to do, yes?".

That I did.

A few hours and a few battles later, we met again and a fearsome battle ensued. Cole (as I later learned was his name) even utilized the Draconic "Devastating Drake" Z-move, knocking out my poor Kommo-o! I still ended up victorious but that hardly matters; it was what the Ace Trainer said afterwards that resonated with me.

After the usual words of congratulations and such, he spoke. "Wow, baby! That really was something. So here, babe…a present from me", he said, handing me a TM. I couldn't tell you what move the TM contained, though. "Baby? Babe?" Did I hear him correctly? I was stunned; speechless. My whole world was a whirlpool of uncertainty. As I feebly attempted to sputter out some form of thanks, Cole just laughed.

"Heh…Persian got your tongue? Don't worry babe…your face tells me everything" he said with a wink. I knew I was blushing at this point.

Empathetically, he put a hand on my shoulder. "Listen…just keep in mind that not many trainers have mastered the Z-Ring and its powers. So please, baby; remember that I'm one of the special few!"

"Baby?", I thought. I was still staring wide eyed at this handsome, suddenly affectionate youth. It wasn't solely his words but how he said them, how he looked while saying them…such passion, such determination…it awakened feelings previously unknown to me. Like I wanted to be close to him. I didn't want to walk away. But I wasn't sure why I felt these things.

I eventually had regained my composure enough to at least attempt to speak. "…I won't..I won't f-forget", I finally managed to sheepishly sputter out as I felt my face redden to a shade resembling a Bounsweet. Cole laughed.

With that, we parted ways. I couldn't help but wonder if I would ever see Cole again, though. For reasons I couldn't yet explain, I certainly hoped I would. I didn't want it to be the last time I saw those sapphire eyes.

—

There it is! The first of…a few chapters? I'm not sure how long this is going to be but what you can expect coming up: A brief time skip and some familiar faces! Until then, loves! Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day if you like that sort of thing XD

—


	2. Time for Adventure

Many moons later…

I was sitting with Hau at the Beachfront Malsada shop, seated by the window. I enjoyed watching the waves crash, the Wingull flap around, and the people running about as Hau spoke, his mouth half-full of malsada.

"Anywzhht, weh shdl vsit Lghie! Edsfk ebnfe toweoe lnog!"

Unsurprisingly, I understood nothing. I looked back at my friend, crumbs falling from his mouth as he sat there looking pleased as ever.

"Slow down, Hau. Use your words", I laughed.

"Sorry", said Hau catching his breath as he laughed with me. "I was saying, we should visit Lillie! It's been too long!"

"Ooh! I would like that", I nodded, happy with this idea. At this point it probably had been a few years since Lillie left for Kanto. I'd heard from her periodically but I agreed that it would be a good idea to see our old friend in person. "How would we get there, though?"

"I don't know." Hau pondered along with me for a moment. "Oh! Didn't you meet two big name trainers from Kanto back when you were doing that Battle Tree thing on Poni Island? Maybe they can help!".

"OOH! Yes! What an excellent idea", I immediately approved. Some time ago, I found myself pursuing some crazy battle gauntlet ordeal past the Poni Plains. There I met none other than Ash and Gary, two of Kanto's strongest trainers back in their day! Now they were young adults and were both very accomplished in their own right, but both were fierce battlers still. I also couldn't help but notice that they seemed closer than I would have imagined. I couldn't help but wonder about the connection they shared…

…which ahead to me thinking of someone else I met on that same journey. A certain dreamy, blue eyed honey-blond who called me "baby". I wondered if he said that to everybody he lost to or if he was just me. I wasn't sure but I had to find out.

"So…" Has began, his voice bringing me back into the present reality.

"Sorry! But YES! Let's go, Hau!"

"WHOAH! Right now?", Hau's eyes widened, shocked by my sudden enthusiasm.

"Hehe…sorry. But yes! I'm done with my malsada. I can page Charizard and we can be there in no time!"

"Ok! I'll just get another one to go!"

Of course he would. "Wait, Hau! Get five."

"Five?"

"You heard me!". One for each of us, one for each of the young men from Kanto and finally one for Cole. I sure hoped he was still in the area and that we'd run into him but if not, I was sure someone would eat the extra.

With that, we were off.

 _—_

"Wow! This place is beautiful," exclaimed Hau, slightly awestruck.

"Isn't it?", I smiled. I had to agree; it had been at least a year since I was last at the Poni Plains; I had forgotten just how beautiful the area was.

"Ok, this way!", I motioned for Hau to follow me as I showed him the way. Sure enough, it wasn't long before we saw Cole, sitting under the shade of a tree. He appeared to be writing in some sort of journal.

Without thinking, I approached him. "Alola!"

"Oh? Hello there! Alola!", Cole replied with a warm but suave smile.

"I don't know if you…", I began as I felt the nerves start to set in again.

"Of course I remember you, babe! You gave me quite the battle…and you were so cute afterwards. Why were you so nervous?"

I was stunned by the other trainer's boldness. I felt myself bury my hands in my face, blushing, smiling, not able to look away from the ground. Eventually I regained enough composure to sputter out some attempt at a response.

"Um…well, I…thank you?" was all I could manage, unfortunately.

Cole laughed. "Forget it. So, what brings you back here? You needed to see me again? It has been awhile…" He winked at me again.

"My friend and I are going to visit a friend back in Kanto…" I said, trying not to melt right there in front of him.

"Well you're going the wrong way," teased Cole.

"I know that!" I snapped back, not unkindly, though I did roll my eyes. From there, I wasn't sure what to say or do; I was still quite the bundle of nerves. "Um…I guess we should get going."

"So soon? When will I see you again?" He almost looked hurt.

I wondered the same thing. "Um…we will stop by on our way back?" I replied, looking back to Hau for approval. Hau looked more confused than anything else but he shrugged, as if to just go with the flow.

Cole laughed again. "I hope you do. Until then, baby!". With that, he returned to his writing.

"Alola!". Hau and I continued on our way. When we were safely out of earshot, Hau finally spoke.

"Aiden! Who was that?" he asked, not disapprovingly but clearly curious.

"Oh…" I was a bit embarrassed. "I…he…and I battled and…"

"And…?"

"That's it! He just…left an impression on me, the way he battled and the way he spoke."

"Oh? Well it looks like you left an impression on him too", Hau said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "It's ok, buddy. You can like whomever you like; you're still my friend and the best trainer I know!".

I was taken aback by this. Is that what this was? I…liked Cole? Yes. No, I knew I did. I just hadn't ever thought about "liking people" before. I appreciated my friend's understanding, though and managed a "Thanks, Hau" as we continued onward.

 _—_

A day later we had reached the Battle Tree.

"OH CROBAT CRAP!", I exclaimed as I suddenly remembered something.

"What?" Hau replied, slightly shocked, though he laughed at my choice of words used to express my frustration.

"We forgot to give….ok, remember that time I told you to bring five Malsadas?" Hau nodded. "I secretly was hoping to run into Cole and give him the fifth one. I just realized I forgot," I confessed.

"Ha! Well…all the more reason to visit him again on our way out, huh?", Hau said, teasingly.

"You're right", I conceded. I was lucky to have Hau as a friend; not only was he was always cheerful, always looking at the positive side of things, but he was being super supportive of my…well, whatever this was. With that, we both approached the receptionist's desk.

"Hi! I'm the receptionist", she said vibrantly, as if we couldn't tell. "How can I help you? Would you like to make a challenge?"

"Actually, I'm not here to battle today," I said.

"I see. What is it, then?", she said, less vibrantly.

"I was actually hoping to speak with Ash and Gary. I needed their advice on something."

"Advice, eh? One moment please…". The receptionist began to check something on the computer when suddenly, the main door opened and out walked two handsome young men. Both were relatively tall; one had dark hair, a tanned complexion and was sporting a red baseball cap, jeans, and a red and white raglan t-shirt. He was accompanied by a Pikachu, who stood at the young man's feet, tilting the head and looking at Hau curiously. The other young man was lighter complected and was rocking a pair of green pants and a black, short sleeve button up. His amber hair was styled in multidirectional yet meticulous spikes and his look was completed by an effortlessly cool attitude.

"Oh, you mean them?" she said, chuckling as she casually pointed towards the pair.

"Thank you!" said Hau as we turned toward two Kanto trainers. "Alola, Ash and Gary!" I waved. "Erm, do you remember me?"

"Ooh! Aiden, right?" said Ash.

"That's me! And this is Hau," motioning towards my friend.

"Hi!", Hau said, a bit nervously. "What a cute Pikachu!"

"Pika!", Ash's Pikachu responded cheerfully.

Hau continued after a brief awkward pause. "Er…would you like a malsada? A true Alolan delicacy! We brought you each one just in case!" He handed each trainer one. Ash broke off a piece to give to Pikachu, then immediately began to devour his portion. Gary rolled his eyes but allowed himself to laugh before taking a bite out of his own malsada.

"So what brings you back? Did your friend want to challenge us, Aiden?" asked Gary.

"Actually, we wanted to ask the two of you something," I began.

"Sure! What is it?" asked Ash, putting an arm around Gary. Hau looked slightly surprised, whereas I tried not to smile too obviously. Maybe they were just good friends but what if they weren't? It would be nice to know someone else who may understand, I thought.

"Well, Aiden and I want to go to Kanto to visit our friend Lillie," stated Hau. It was then when I remembered why we were there; thoughts of Ash and Gary and Cole distracted me from reality. "We weren't sure of the best way to get there and we wondered if you'd be able to help us out and also maybe tell us where Bill could be found?", Hau continued.

"Ok, slow down, pal. One thing at a time", joked Gary.

"If you want to go to Kanto, we can take you. We're actually headed back home tomorrow," Ash offered.

"Are you sure there will be room for them, ASHY BOY?", Gary challenged, not necessarily thrilled that Ash invited us without checking with him first.

"We'll make it work, Gare-bear!", Ash retorted.

"Pi-ka!", Pikachu firmly stated in agreement.

"Fine, you two can come along. We will fly out of Hau'loui city tomorrow at 8 AM sharp," stated Gary.

"Fly?", questioned Hau.

"Would you rather walk there?" said Gary dryly.

"We'll be using one of the Oak Manor's private helicopters", Ash said with a hint of a mocking tone.

"Way to make me sound like a spoiled rich kid, Ash!"

"Well, you kind of are…" Ash teased. Pikachu seemed to giggle.

As the two older trainers bickered, the group of us had slowly began making our way back to the Poni Plains. As I was thinking of a good way to change the subject, we ran into Cole once again! Excited both to see him and to escape the squabbling, I ran ahead to him, malsada in hand.

"Cole! Alola!", I exclaimed, welcoming the handsome distraction.

"Oh, hey baby! To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you again so soon?" Cole responded, charming as ever.

"Well, I…picked up an extra malsada before coming here and thought I'd share it with you. Would you like it?" I said with a bit more of the nervousness I had by then come to associate with my interactions with Cole.

"Aren't you sweet? Picking up an extra one for me…and who are these gentlemen?" he asked, noticing that Gary, Ash and Hau had caught up, Pikachu in tow.

"Who's your friend here, Aiden?", Gary asked teasingly.

"I am Cole, number one trainer of the Poni Plains!" Cole said proudly.

"Except for that time I beat you," I corrected.

Ash and Gary gave each other a look and laughed. "Nice to meet you, Cole. I am Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and this is Gary Oak."

'Well met, good sirs," Cole bowed politely before returning his attention to me. "What exactly are you up to, babe? You come here to visit me, then return a day later with these other men…"

"Ooh, babe?" Gary teased, nudging me. I blushed but otherwise ignored his taunting.

"Well, we're going to Kanto to visit our friend Lillie", I explained.

"Kanto? Hmm, I've never been there myself but one of my idols, the Dragon Master Lance, is champion there, isn't he?" Cole asked.

Gary and Ash nodded affirmatively. "Would you like to join us?" Ash offered. The rest of us all turned to Ash, our faces displaying varying degrees of shock…all of which were for different reasons, to be sure.

"Ash! We won't have room!" Gary scolded Ash in a hushed tone.

"We'll just be a bit cozy!", Ash whispered back.

"Ah! Actually, I would love to join you!" Cole said, ignoring the whispers. "I've spent too much time hanging around the Poni Plains and have grown bored. I think this might be my chance to see more of the world!"

At this point I was blushing like I had never blushed before. Not only were we going to Kanto with Ash and Gary but now Cole too? Whatever was to happen next, I was sure at this point that the trip to come would be a memorable one.

—

There it is! A much longer chapter but I wanted to at least introduce Ash and Gary by Chapter 2. Hope you enjoy! See you next week ^_^


	3. Love Travels

Pre-Chapter Notes:

Thank you so much to anyone who's reviewed so far, first of all! It is much appreciated so thank you! *HUGS*

Also I feel like this would be an opportune time to mention that in this and/or upcoming chapters, there will be references made to events that happened in the Pokemon Sun and Moon games. If you haven't played or aren't familiar with the plot and would like an explanation, you can PM me and I'd be happy to give you a synopsis…or you can, like, Google it or whatever. Otherwise, SPOILERS! HAHAHAHAHA

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Though I wish I owned Pokemon (as in, actual Pokemon, not the franchise). That would be awesome! Ok, moving on to the actual content….

—

Morning came too quickly. Or was it too slowly? The point is that I couldn't sleep that night. So much was on my mind; thoughts of Cole, Kanto, Ash and Gary, and Lillie flooded my mind so that it was a vicious tide above which I could not rise (as if I had angered Kyogre itself). A constant struggle to stay afloat, tossing and turning, I had eventually given up on falling asleep. Before I knew it I was eating breakfast, saying goodbye to Mom and heading to the marina with Hau. I'm not even sure where Cole and the other two stayed that night but nevertheless, they were there when we got there. It was all I could do to walk and keep my eyes open, let alone attempt look cheerful. Or awake.

"Well well, look who's here!" came a voice that was becoming familiar to me.

With my lack of sleep, I was vulnerable and basically useless. I simply hobbled my way over Cole and collapsed in his arms. A collective gasp came from the group before Cole laughed and helped me up, one arm around me.

"You doing ok, baby?" he asked sweetly, ever the gentleman. When I didn't respond, he continued. "Listen, it's a long trip. You can sleep on the way over", Cole said, comfortingly, rubbing my shoulder with his one hand.

That I did. I don't even remember boarding the vehicle, let alone the first half of the trip, so it's safe to say I must have fallen asleep almost immediately.

Hours later, reality began to set back in. Everything was a bit hazy, but I heard voices; Ash's first.

"But yeah, around the age of 9 or so, things got difficult for us. Our friendship turned into a situation where Gary was vying for my attention. It was a losing battle, considering the opponent was my growing love for Pokemon.".

I heard a sigh, presumably from Gary. His voice a second later confirmed that.

"Why are we talking about this, Ashy-boy?"

"They asked how we met!"

"But do they need the whole story?"

"No, come on guys! Go on!" said Hau, which surprised me a bit.

I continued to lay there, half asleep and oddly comfortable. I'm not sure what the seats were even like on the helicopter but I would have stayed in that position forever if I could.

"Ok, well…listen. I still feel bad for how I treated you during those years, Ash. During the first years of your travels," Gary said more sincerity and less of his usual cool demeanor.

"Gary, no! It's so far back in the past, don't even worry about it. I understand why you acted that way now," Ash replied, empathetically.

"I know, Ash. I love you." said Gary.

"I love you too, Gary". I'm pretty sure I heard a kiss at that point.

"Pika!", Pikachu chimed in, showing his approval, I guess.

I liked what I was hearing but on the other hand, I was seriously so comfortable. It was a strange, unfamiliar sort of comfort but whatever I was laying on felt…perfect. I didn't want to move or open my eyes. I did neither. I just laid there, my state of consciousness questionable, as their conversation continued.

"So several years later, in between Pokemon leagues, I decided to stay home in Pallet town for a month or so. It just so happened that Gary was there which was great; I hadn't seen in him in at least a few years. And when I saw him that day…"

"Oh? Go on, Ashy-boy", I could hear Gary tease.

"Well, I remember my heart racing. It was a short encounter but I couldn't get my mind off of Gary for the rest of that day."

At that, I heard a prideful chuckle from Gary.

Ash continued, "I figured you'd like that, Gary. Anyway, I couldn't sleep that night so I wandered down to the creek where Gary and I used to go as kids. Where we went fishing and caught this…"

There was a brief silence but it sounded as though Ash (and possibly Gary?) was showing something to the others.

"Yeah. And guess who was there when I arrived?"

"It was me", Gary said flatly, as if knew the audience didn't need to be told but he did anyway.

"Yeah," Ash continued, "It took me back to a time many years before, at the Silver Conference. The night before our big battle."

"Me too. I still remember that night. It was almost the perfect scene. At that point I felt we were more friends than rivals; enough so that I was ready to open my heart up to you." Gary added, almost solemnly.

"I remember. I wish I'd been ready at that point. I didn't understand back then," Ash continued, slightly ashamed. "But this night, many years later, was different," he continued. "Thinking back to that night at the Silver Conference, it reminded me of what we could have been. But seeing Gary in that moment years later was like I was waking up to what was most important to me."

I heard a collective "awww" as I dozed off once more.


	4. Mime Time!

Another chapter! Enjoy :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing of value, let alone the Pokemon franchise. KTHX.

—

When I finally woke up, the group was silent. All eyes were on me, PIkachu's included, and I wasn't sure why.

"Um…hey guys. Sorry, I dozed off for awhile", I said, still a bit groggy.

They all laughed.

"Don't be sorry, buddy! Glad you could get some rest", said Hau, ever his wonderful self.

"Yes, welcome back, babe". Cole's voice came from directly above me. It was then when I realized why I had been so comfortable; I was laying halfway on top of Cole and his arms were around me!

"Aah! Cole! I'm sorry!", I began, suddenly more awake. I didn't move, though; I would have, considering the shock, but something stopped me from moving in that moment.

"Why babe? Don't be sorry," he rubbed my head gently.

"Mm…ok", I said, much calmer and more content.

"So, how long have YOU two been together?", Ash chimed in cheerfully .

My eyes widened. Were we together now? I thought maybe we would need to talk about it or something.

Mercifully, Cole spoke up in my stead. "Well, we met over a year ago when we battled."

"That battle we keep hearing about…must have been something," Gary said with a wink.

"Oh, it was," I felt Cole nod. "We didn't see each other again for quite some time until just a few days ago, when they returned to the Poni Plains, apparently to organize this trip."

The others murmured their assent as I I felt Cole lean in as he whispered in my ear. "We can talk more about this later when it's just you and me, ok?"

I nodded. "So, what about you two?", I asked Ash and Gary.

They laughed. "I guess you were asleep for most of that story. Well, we've known each other our whole lives, and friends for much of that time…" Ash began.

"We've been "together" for almost a decade now!", said Gary with a smirk.

"Wow! That's…really beautiful". I was taken aback. It was reassuring to see another couple, one with two men, that was so happy and successful.

"I thought so too", Gary replied as he kissed Ash on the cheek. They then kissed each other on the lips a few times. I blushed just watching them as I felt Cole pull me in a little closer, running his hands through my hair. This felt good. I can't say I minded seeing Ash and Gary kiss, either, but still…Cole. Wow. Cole. I couldn't believe I spent the whole trip lying in this beautiful guy's arms. How is this happening and why?

"Hey! Are those the Orange Islands?", Hau exclaimed as he pointed out the window, dragging me back into reality.

Gary looked out the window. "They sure are! We're pretty close, guys!"

"Wow! So what's the plan?", Cole asked. I didn't really know either so I was glad he asked.

"Well, we'll land in Pallet Town," Gary began.

"We'll have dinner at my house; my mom was so excited to learn I was bringing a few new friends home with us," Ash concluded.

This was good news; I hadn't eaten since breakfast back in Alola. It was weird to think that I was in Alola with my mom this morning but soon enough, I would be back in my home region of Kanto, where I haven't been since I left a few years ago. I was excited to see Lillie. I was excited to hang out with her and Hau, just like it used to be. I was excited to show Hau Kanto and spend more time with Cole. But I was also excited to eat, I realized as my stomach growled at me.

Soon enough, we touched ground in Pallet town. It was a smaller town but charming all the same. What caught my eye was the grandiose building that stood before us as we landed. I guess it was hard to miss.

"Is this Oak Manor?", asked Hau. "I've read about this place and the research your grandfather does."

"Yep, this is it!" Gary said casually. "Gramps is away doing a symposium on Cinnabar Island and Tracey, his assistant, went with him so we have the place to ourself", he continued as we walked inside.

The lab was a marvel; there were Pokemon running about outside in the backyard. Inside, there were many rooms and a few stories but in this main area there were shelves upon shelves of various Pokemon research books, along with plenty of fine furnishings and such.

"Wow! So do you live here, Gary?", I asked.

"Not anymore," Gary chuckled. "I did grow up here, though."

"Now he lives with me," Ash said proudly.

"Indeed," Gary nodded. "So we have about an hour until dinner. I'm going to take a shower and get changed. Ashy-boy, you're joining me but the three of you are welcome to use the other showers. There's a bathroom down this hallway and then another two upstairs."

"Ok!", we all agreed, nobody acknowledging or questioning how he casually slipped in a demand for Ash to join him in the shower.

—

We all reconvened moments later, all of us freshly showered and in clean clothes.

"Looking good, guys! Are we all ready for some food?", Ash said. Everyone else responded affirmatively as we made our way outside and began to walk.

Looking at Ash, he kind of reminded me of Hau. Obviously he was more grown up and they didn't look a thing alike but they were both such cheerful people with big hearts. I could see why Gary liked being around him so much.

Both of the aforementioned parties walked ahead, along with Gary. Cole and I walked a few paces behind the others. He grabbed my hand. I didn't let go but instead allowed our fingers to interweave with one another.

"So you're from Kanto originally, right, Aiden?", he asked.

"That's right. Saffron City, more specifically."

"Nice. What brought you to Alola?"

"My mom's from there originally. My dad is from Kanto but he was offered a new job in Alola. When he told my mom, it was a done deal," I explained.

"Fair enough. Do you have any family still in Kanto you'd like to see while we're here?"

"I may." I paused for a moment. "You know, I never really thought of that. Visiting them, I mean. Other than seeing my friend Lillie, I don't really have anything planned for this trip. I don't even know how long we're staying."

"I guess we should talk to Hau about that last part. But I'm happy to go anywhere with you, babe", Cole said, giving my hand an affectionate squeeze.

"Thanks, Cole", I smiled.

"This is it!", Ash called back to us as we approached a house.

"Cute!" Cole said approvingly. I had to agree.

The door was answered by a cheerful Pokemon I had never seen before. He kind of looked like a clown.

"Mimey! Good to see you", said Ash as the Pokemon nearly tackled him.

"Is that my son I hear?", came a chipper woman's voice. Soon the voice's owner came into a view; a middle aged brunette with a kind face.

"Oh! Are these your new little friends you told me about, Ash?". Ash nodded with a slight hint of embarrassment, just having gotten back on his feet after the mime attack.

"Well hello darlings! I'm Delia Ketchum, Ash's mom. Ash told me he met some young trainers in Alola who wanted to go to Kanto. I figured you wouldn't mind a nice warm meal after your long trip!", she said.

"Alola! I am Hau!", said Hau, doing the traditional Alolan wave.

"So lovely to meet you, Mrs, Ketchum. I am Cole!", said Cole, bowing politely.

"Hi, I'm Aiden! Thank you for having us over", I nodded.

"It's my pleasure! Nice to meet you all…and great timing! Dinner is just about ready."

"Need any help, Mrs. Ketchum?", asked Gary.

"Oh, right", Ash said, slightly sheepishly.

"Well thank you for asking! If you don't mind, actually…", she said as the three of them made their way back to the kitchen, leaving Hau, Cole and I in the foyer. We made our way to the table and sat down.

"So how are you liking Kanto, Hau?". I felt bad for not giving my friend as much attention when this trip was originally our idea.

"It's quite nice so far! I miss the oceanic breeze and the golden sun rays of Alola but Pallet town has its own charm," said Hau.

"Well, I assume we won't be in Pallet town for long. Do we even know where Lillie and Lusamine are?", I asked, feeling silly for not knowing.

"Last time I talked to Lillie, she told me they were living in…Celadon City, I think it was called?"

"Of course they would live in the biggest city with the largest selection of shopping options", I said, laughing.

"Ah! That does make sense", Hau laughed as well.

"So tell me a bit about your friend Lillie," Cole began.

"Oh yes, Ash told me the three of you were here to see an old friend of yours!", said Delia, as she entered the dining room with trays of food. Ash and Gary followed closely behind.

"Wow, this looks and smells delicious, Mrs. Ketchum," Hau said with excitement.

With that, dinner was promptly served, at which point conversation came to a brief pause as everyone began to stuff their face. It had been a long trip and a long time since anybody had eaten and an even longer time since I had eaten anything quite this delicious. Soon enough we were full and conversation resumed.

"So, you boys are here to see your friend…Lillie, was her name?" Delia said.

"Oh! Yes sorry; we were distracted by your glorious food, Mrs. Ketchum", said Hau.

"You're too kind!"

"It's true, though!", I chimed in. "Thank you so much, again."

"Anyway, Lillie was working as Professor Kukui's assistant when Aiden and I met her a few years ago," Hau began.

Hau and I continued to tell the others all about the debacle with her mother, the Aether foundation, Cosmog, Team Skull, her brother Gladion; everything.

"Wow. You two went through a lot then, didn't you. I had no idea, babe," said Cole, grabbing my hand.

I noticed that his affection caught Delia's attention but she just smiled. "Oh my! Aren't you two cute?"

I blushed. "Thank you, Mrs. Ketchum".

"So you two were involved with that whole debacle with Aether and the Ultra beasts. You know, that was on the news here, even!", said Ash.

"It was a big scandal and worse yet, it was right before we were going to head over to Alola to prepare the Battle Tree. We seriously considered cancelling," added Gary.

"Yes, but then the media had assured us that the matter was under control, thanks to a promising young trainer," said Delia. "So that was you, Aiden?" she added, slightly awestruck.

"Well, I can't take full credit. I couldn't have done it without Hau and Lillie!", I said, feeling slightly guilty.

"Gladion also was really helpful." Hau added.

"This is also true!" How could I forget Gladion? Lillie's brother, once a member of Team Skull, ended up playing a crucial role in stopping Lusamine's madness.

"Anyway, we haven't seen Lillie in awhile and figured it would be fun to pay her a visit!" concluded Hau.

"How sweet! Where are you boys staying?", asked Mrs. Ketchum.

"You guys can stay in the lab tonight," Gary offered.

"Thank you! Hau, Cole, we might as well head over tomorrow if it's ok with Lillie", I decided.

"Great! I'll text Lillie right away," Hau responded cheerfully.

"Ok. Well you boys stop by before you leave tomorrow morning! I'll fix you all a nice breakfast!", Mrs. Ketchum offered.

"Really, you are too kind!" Cole said appreciatively.

"It's my pleasure, dears!"

There was a collective "thank you" from the group then we made our way out the door. Cole, Hau and I began to walk when we realized Ash and Gary were not with us. Ash soon caught up to show us the way back to the lab, but Gary didn't join us until a ways later. I wondered what that was about but I didn't worry about it at the time.

By the time we had returned, we were all exhausted from the trip and the meal. Even I, who had slept through at least half the flight, was still pretty tired, so we all went to our respective bedrooms. Cole walked me to my room but stopped me before I entered.

"So, this is ok? It's not happening too fast for you, babe?"

I paused. "Of course. It's…just all very new to me. I've…never even thought about dating or romantic attraction before."

"I understand. It's ok, babe. I figured that may have been the case."

I nodded. "But…I'm glad it's you."

"Oh?" Cole perked up a bit, intrigued. "What ever do you mean?"

"You know what I mean," I said as I reverted to the blushing mess I was during our first few encounters, only moreso this time. I wanted to ask him why he called me baby after our first battle. What about me compelled him to do so. But I was too tired.

"Haha I know, babe. It's fine."

I was relieved, though it was hard to be completely calm. I looked at Cole. Even struggling to keep his blue eyes open, his golden brown hair tousled messily, he was still stunning.

Cole yawned. "I should get some rest, babe. Not all of us managed to sleep most of the way up," he teased.

"Heh. Not everyone had such a comfortable bed to lie on," I teased back. Cole understood. "I can't believe I was sleeping on you that whole trip, basically!"

"Haha! I didn't mind, babe," he answered with a bit more flirtation than before. I was blushing and pretty much speechless, as I'm sure you could imagine by now.

"Well listen, I don't want this to go too fast for you or overwhelm you. I know you're a little younger and I figured this was new to you."

"Thank you."

"But on the other hand, I'm sure that won't be the last time you find yourself waking up in my arms," he said with a flirtatious smile.

My eyes widened. "Oh yeah? I…" …I once again had trouble finding words. This was just great. (No, it really was, but I was almost certainly making a Mudsdale out of myself at this point).

"Heh…I think it's time for bed. Goodnight, Aiden", he said sweetly as he wrapped me into his arms and held me close to him.

"Goodnight, Cole," I replied, contented beyond belief.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Get some sleep, in case you didn't get enough on the plane, babe".

"I'll do my best," I replied with a giggle, still wrapped in his embrace.

"See you tomorrow," he said softly, kissing my cheek gently before he released me.

"I can't wait." With that, we parted ways, but I swear I could have melted into a puddle right there and then, like a Vaporeon using Acid Armor. What was happening to me?


	5. Lillie's Pad

Alola! Another Sunday, another chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing and would never claim otherwise.

—

It felt good to wake up after actually having slept. I felt whole; I felt happy. I might not have been able to explain why right then but I think even then I could speculate that a certain Ace Trainer had something to do with it.

I went downstairs to find Hau and Gary chatting, though they both turned to acknowledge my arrival.

"Aiden! Alola! You missed the tour; Gary just showed me all around the lab!", Hau stated enthusiastically.

"Damn! I'm sorry to have missed it," I admitted, just a bit jealous.

"No worries, Aiden. There will be other opportunities," Gary assured. The three of us made our way to the main area, where we sat on the couches and chatted a bit more. Topics covered included some of Gary's research, vacations he's taken with Ash, and plans for this visit. In time, both Ash and Cole joined both us and our conversation.

"Gramps and Tracey will be back in few days; until then, Ash and I are kind of stuck watching the lab," Gary was explaining.

"I see. Well, Hau, are we still leaving for Celadon today?", I asked.

"I hope so! Lillie's expecting us", Hau said.

"Is she?". I was slightly surprised.

"She responded to my text before we went to bed; she's super excited!"

"Awesome! Cole, is that ok with you?", I asked.

"Fine with me! I'm happy to go wherever you go, babe," he replied; at this, Ash and Gary exchanged a look that seemed to be one of approval.

"There's a train station not far from here that will take you right to Celadon. You're free to come back here whenever, though," said Gary.

"Sounds great! So we'll go after breakfast, guys?" I asked. They both nodded.

"Great; Ash, after breakfast you can show them to the train station," said Gary.

"I can?" Ash said.

Pikachu chimed in with a sideways tilt of the head and a "Pika?", as if he was echoing Ash.

"I still have to run the daily reports, Ashy-boy", Gary said firmly.

"That would be great!", I cut in before they could argue any further.

"Ok…well, I say it's time for breakfast!", Ash declared. With that, we were out the door and on the way to the Ketchum residence.

Sure enough, Mrs. Ketchum had a huge buffet set up for the five of us upon our arrival. Waffles, eggs, bacon, fresh fruit, tea, coffee, orange juice; it was perfect.

After gorging ourselves on the food and thanking Mrs. Ketchum once again, we walked back to Oak Manor. Ash and Gary exchanged a kiss as Gary returned to the lab and the rest of us made our way to the train station. It wasn't a horribly long walk at all.

As we arrived at the station, Cole and Hau went ahead to buy the tickets as Ash pulled me aside. "Listen, Aiden, here's my phone number. Text me when you're there, ok? I'll want to stay in touch with you guys so I know when you're coming back and such," Ash said as he grabbed my phone so as to enter himself as a contact.

"Fair enough! Thanks, Ash." I said. Ash leaned in a bit closer.

"By the way, Aiden", he said in a slightly more hushed tone. "I'm so happy for you and Cole."

"Thanks, Ash." I blushed. "It's…really inspiring to see a couple like you and Gary. This is my first relationship, I guess, and…"

"Wow! That's so exciting, though! Gary was my first relationship too", he admitted cheerfully.

"Nice! It's really nice to see," I said.

"Thank you," Ash responded. "Honestly, seeing you around him reminds me of my earlier days with Gary. When we reconnected as teenagers, after not having seen each other for years, I was so nervous, blushing and everything. Even though we knew each other our whole lives, these feelings, or at least being able to admit to them freely, were brand new," he continued.

"Wow. Well you two certainly seem comfortable with each other now!", I said, though I could imagine a younger Ash being nervous around Gary and it was pretty darn cute.

"We've had years of practice," Ash laughed as Cole and Hau rejoined us.

"Alola! We have returned with tickets for passage to see Lillie!", Hau declared, excited as ever. "Let's go, Aiden!"

"So you're all set? Well then have a great trip! See you later!" Ash waved cheerfully as we parted ways.

"Thanks again, Ash!" I said as the three of us waved goodbye from the train.

The trip was fine. I was afraid to hold Cole's hand in public but it wasn't too long a ride anyway. We passed the time by chatting about differences between Kanto and Alolan Pokemon. Hau was interested to see the Kanto variants of some of the Pokemon who can be found in Kanto but have a different form in Alola. Eventually. we found ourselves in Celadon city.

"I guess I'll call Lillie," Hau said. "She's expecting us but I don't think we established an exact spot where we'd meet".

"Fair enough," I said. Looking around, I couldn't remember the last time I was in Celadon. I said as much out loud.

"It's quite lovely. It has a nice juxtaposition of lush greenery and concrete jungle," he observed.

"Well put, Cole!", Hau said. Both of them tended to have quite a way with words.

"HAU? AIDEN?", came a voice I hadn't heard in ages.

The three of us turned around to find Lillie, standing just a few feet away from us. Her blonde hair was a bit longer than shoulder length and it all was swept over one shoulder but she kept the bangs she had when she was in her "Z powered" form. She was wearing a white, ruffly top with a floral print skirt. She smiled as she looked at us and did a little twirl, as if to add dramatic flair.

"Lillie!" Hau instantly dropped his bag and ran over to hug her. "It's so good to see you!".

I had soon caught up with them, Cole following closely behind. "Hey, Lillie! You're looking fabulous!" I said, hugging her as well.

"Thank you, Aiden! Great to see you two!". She turned to Cole. "Now who is this?", she asked, curious. I'm not sure she even knew he was joining us.

"Ah yes, Lillie. It is very nice to meet you; I've heard a lot about you. I am Cole," he said, still ever so charming, as he shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Cole!", she said. At that moment, Hau went up to Lillie and whispered something in her ear. Her face changed almost instantaneously.

"REALLY, AIDEN? Your BOYFRIEND?".

Her eyes widened and her cheeks were all red. It was an anger I had only seen in her once before and would heretofore be referred to as her "scary face". Cole and I looked at each other with uncertainty. I didn't expect Lillie to disapprove. Was this a mistake?

"Aiden!", she exclaimed again, as if to regain my full attention. There was a slight pause. "WHY did you not tell me you have a boyfriend? He's so cute!", she said as she broke the silence, her tone instantly changing once again. She gave Cole a hug, then me, then Hau just because. All four of us laughed.

A weight was lifted off my shoulders; I was glad Lillie was, in fact, happy for me. And Lillie had good taste so her approval did mean something to me.

"Ok, guys! I'll show you to our house; it's just this way."

We chatted and began to catch up as we walked down a street with several shops, including the huge department store. Further along, we walked past the gym.

"By the way, this is where I work now!" she informed us.

"The gym?", I asked.

"Yup! I'm a trainer there."

"Cool! So you battle challengers to test their skill before they can face the leader?", Cole asked.

"Exactly! I became good friends Erika not long after we moved here. She's kind of like a big sister to me" she began. "When I told her I was interested in becoming a trainer, she kind of took me under her wing and eventually, she decided I could help represent her gym!".

"That's great, Lillie!", I said.

"Well, you're the one who inspired me. You and Hau both did," said Lillie.

Cole looked at me with approval. I smiled back at him. Hau looked happier than a Happiny himself.

"Ok, well this is it!"

Lillie's house was very nice; not as extravagant as I would have expected from Lusamine but very intelligently decorated. We sat down in what appeared to be the living room, Cole and I on one couch and Lillie and Hau on one adjacent.

"My mom's at a doctor's appointment right now. She'll be back any minute," Lillie explained.

"How is she doing?", I had to ask. When we first met, Lusamine was super kind to Hau and I but the next and last time we saw her, she had gone crazy; merging with an Ultra Beast and attacking not only us but even her own daughter, Lillie. It was terrifying.

"She's mostly back to her normal self by now. It has been a few years since the Ultra Beasts incident," Lillie began.

"This is true," Hau said. "I'm glad she's better." Cole and I nodded in agreement.

"Well, it hasn't been easy", Lillie continued, a bit more solemnly. She then began to explain how her mother had to undergo a special sort of treatment involving removing toxins left in her bloodstream by Nihilego but it had to be done in several sessions, extracting small amounts at a time; otherwise, it could cause lasting damage to her.

"As I said, she's mostly fine now. Her treatments finally ended about six months ago but she still gets lightheaded every so often. That's why she's at the doctor now," Lillie concluded.

"I see." This was a lot to take in. "Well, I'm glad she's doing ok now!".

"Indeed! And she should be home any minute," Lillie said.

"Does she know we're coming?", Cole spoke up.

"I told her," Lillie started but, before she could elaborate, we heard the door open and in walked Lusamine herself.

"Well hello, darlings!". All heads turned as she stood there regally. An awkward silence followed.


	6. Get in Lusers, We're Going Shopping!

Sorry for the lapse last week...it actually works out for reasons I'll explain...later. Last weekend was just really busy. Anyway, here's Chapter 6! Enjoy :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. I do love it, though!

—

After a brief stunned silence, we all rose from our seats to greet the former Aether President. "Ms Lusamine!", I said, shaking her hand.

"Oh come now, darling," she started as she pulled me in for a hug. I was definitely surprised and not sure what to think but I supposed it was a good thing.

She turned to Hau and offered him a hug as well once I was released, then turned to Cole.

"Oh! And who are you, dear?"

Cole cautiously stepped forward and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, Madame Lusamine. I am Cole."

"Well met, darling," she said, shaking his hand before pulling him in for a hug as well, not asking any questions.

Lusamine looked healthier than she did when we had known her before. She had changed her style slightly; her hair was shorter, though she kept the asymmetrical, sweeping bangs, and she dressed more simply in a simple white blouse and pale pink pants.

"So how have you been doing, Ms Lusamine? What have you been up to?" Hau asked with much less hesitation than I would have in that moment. Thank goodness for Hau.

"You are so sweet to ask!", Lusamine said as she took a seat next to Lillie on the couch. We returned to our seated positions as she explained to us the process and struggle she went through, removing any trace of Nihilego from her.

"I feel like myself again, finally. It's been years," she explained. "The only thing is that I do get occasional spells of vertigo. Luckily, I had some of Kanto's best doctors helping me with this whole ordeal so I still can see them for any related issues."

"That's great, Madame Lusamine," Cole said.

"So what are you up to now? Are you still the Aether president?", I asked, uncertain.

"Oh heavens no! That whole debacle was a huge scandal; it basically forced me into an early retirement", she said, looking slightly ashamed.

"I am so sorry. I shouldn't have…" I began.

"No no, it's not a problem, young Aiden! I still help the current president remotely here and there. Wicke has really done a lot to rebuild and redeem the organization "

"Miss Wicke is the president now?" Hau said, sounding pleasantly surprised. I seconded that emotion. Even when Lusamine and Faba turned the entire foundation against us, Wicke was still kind and helpful as ever, as though she was the only sensible one there.

"Why yes! Frankly, she's helped steer the organization into becoming more like what I originally wanted it to be; one that actually protects endangered Pokemon," Lusamine said, more lightheartedly.

"Gladion's working tirelessly, doing lots of field work for the foundation," Lillie added. "He and his Silvally have become indispensable."

This was pleasing information; I always thought Gladion had way more potential than to work for Team Skull.

"Yes, yes. I am proud of both of my children," Lusamine said as she wrapped Lillie in a hug. It was so very heartwarming; I could only imagine that, as of when we last saw Lillie, it had been ages since Lusamine had hugged her. I was so happy to see that their relationship had improved. Heck, it practically took a U-turn!

"Ok, well enough of this chatter, how would you kids like to go shopping?", Lusamine asked. Lillie instantly perked up.

"You mean in that beautiful department store we passed on the way here? I would love to!" said Cole.

"Great! Let's go, kids!". Within a moment we had filed into Lusamine's car and we were on our way to the store.

On the way we passed a Meowth, which Cole pointed out to Hau.

"You see, Hau? This is what Meowths look like in other regions," he explained.

"Wow! This version is pretty cute…", Hau began.

"Hau, my mom has one of these Meowths! You must have seen it at least a few times when you've been at our house!", I said with a slight undertone of judgement.

"Ah! That's where I've seen one," Hau laughed. Cole, Lillie and I joined in the laughter as Lusamine parked the car.

"Welll, we're here! Is anybody hungry?" Lusamine said.

"Ah, yes! There's a nice selection at the food court on the first floor," Lillie added.

It was definitely lunch time at this point so none of us protested the idea of eating first.

"Great! By the way, everything today is my treat," Lusamine stated jollily.

"Wow, really?" Hau, Cole and I were all incredulous; Lillie didn't look phased. It made sense, though; as the former Aether president, money was probably never an issue for Lusamine.

We all stuffed ourselves at a little restaurant that served some wonderful stir-fry. After that, we went upstairs and began shopping for clothes. We all went to the same clothing store but as we browsed, Cole and I kind of went one way, Lillie Lusamine another, and Hau was kind of doing his own thing, flitting back and forth between the other two pairs for whatever reason.

Cole and I had already picked out a few things to try on when I suddenly remembered something. "Oh Torkoal Turds, I forgot!"

Cole looked shocked. "Wow babe! What did you forget?"

"I was supposed to text Ash once we were here. We've been in Celadon for at least a couple hours!"

"Whoops! Well, we kind of have our hands full babe," Cole began. "It'll have to wait."

All the sudden I had an idea. "Wait! Cole, lets each pick out a ridiculous article of clothing to try on."

"Oh?", Cole looked at me with what might have been concern, or possibly amusement. Whatever the case, it was akin to the adorable face he made when he lost to me in our battle when we first met.

"Yes. You'll see. I have a plan," I said, realizing this was the most confident I'd been around Cole since we met. I guess that I was beginning to become more comfortable with him…thank Arceus.

Soon enough, we came to a section featuring hooded sweatshirts modeled after various Pokemon. Cole picked out a Pikachu hoodie and I picked out an Eevee hoodie, both of which were added to our respective piles. From there we made our way to the fitting rooms to find that Lillie, Lusamine and Hau were just getting in line themselves. Lusamine carried a pile of what appeared to be men's clothes, which had me confused until Lillie explained they were for Hau.

"Remember when we first met, Hau? I told you I'd help you pick out a smashing outfit!" Lusamine was determined; it was the first time I saw the fire in her eyes that I remembered. I'm glad it was being put to less terrifying use, this determination.

"Heh…thanks, Ms Lusamine", Hau said, appreciatively enough.

As we progressed through the queue, we all went to separate rooms, with Lusamine standing out in the middle since she wasn't shopping for herself. Cole and I found ourselves in neighboring rooms and soon found ourselves shuffling back and forth, showing each other our options. Soon, Hau and Lillie also came out to show us things they were trying on. It had become like a game of dress up until Lusamine had to intervene to help Hau figure out which clothing items should be paired together.

"Hey Cole," I said, knocking on the door to his room.

He opened the door and was shirtless. My jaw dropped; he had the body of an underwear model, it seemed. Ok, not quite that defined but still beautiful; as if he wasn't already beautiful enough! I was experiencing a sort of rush that I couldn't quite describe but the sight definitely distracted me from whatever I was about to say.

"What is it babe?" Cole said, reminding me of where I was.

"Oh! Right…um…", I began. Luckily I saw the Pikachu hoodie hung up on the wall that reminded me of why I came over.

"Oh, yes! Cole, put the Pikachu hoodie on next. Meet me at my room when you're done," I instructed, offering no further explanation.

"Um, ok babe!", Cole said. I returned to my room, but not before getting one last good look of shirtless Cole. Sweet Arceus.

Just as I had finished putting on the Eevee hoodie, there was a knock at my door. I opened the door and invited Cole in, who looked adorable in his Pikachu getup.

"Well aren't you cute, babe!", Cole said, putting his arm around me. I was blushing. He took note.

"Oh look, maybe you should have worn the Pikachu hoodie. You have the red cheeks and everything!", he said, poking at my cheeks.

"Shut up!", I shot back playfully, with a tinge of embarrassment. "Besides, you make a really cute Pikachu." He really did. I realized that Cole probably looked good in anything.

"Thanks babe," Cole said, he himself blushing a bit. I had to laugh.

"Ok ok, so why did you want us to pick out these items and why did you call me over here?", he asked, curious.

"Ah yes. This was my plan, you see," I began as I pulled my phone out. "We're not going to just text Ash. We're going to send him a picture!".

"Ooh, I like it!", Cole said approvingly. A brief session of selfie taking ensued; we had a lot of fun making various silly faces, trying to imitate our respective Pokemon.

"Pi-KA!", Cole said.

"Vee!", I responded.

We both laughed hysterically, collapsing onto one another. Something about this moment was incredible; maybe it was because it was the first time Cole and I had shared a good laugh together, just having fun and showing each other our goofy sides. Or perhaps it was because I was alone with him in a small room and had just seen him shirtless. This combination of things things definitely created a crazy whirlpool of feelings. How one person could make me feel so many things at once was astounding; this was all so new to me. Regardless, the moment was truncated by a knock at the door. Cole opened it up to find Lillie and Hau standing on the other side.

"Ooh…um…sorry if we were interrupting anything!", Hau began. At this point I had to have been redder than a Tamato Berry.

"No worries; we were just taking a silly picture to send to Ash!", Cole explained.

"…and you didn't invite us?" Lillie said, again giving us the scary face.

"Um…would you like to join?" I asked, slightly guiltily.

"Well, as it turns out…I do have this Jigglypuff hoodie to try on!"

"And they picked out this Meowth one for me to try on," said Hau. "Kanto Meowth," he added.

Within minutes, the four of us reconvened in the middle area and Lusamine happily obliged to take a picture of the four of us in our silly Pokemon hoodies. We had too much fun trying different poses and making silly faces.

Lusamine laughed. "Very cute!".

We then noticed that one of the store employees was giving us a mean look, probably for taking pictures in the store.

"Well, then…are you ready to check out, dears?"

We all headed to the line, each of us carrying at least a few articles of clothing. While in line, I sent Ash several of our silly pictures.

Within a minute, Ash had responded; first with a bunch of laughing emojis, then with a plea for us to get him and Gary the Eevee and Pikachu hoodies, along with their sizes. I went and grabbed another Eevee and another Pikachu hoodie each. And yes, all four of us did end up getting our respective Pokemon hoodies. The stank eye from that employee might have factored into that decision but still, I was ok with it!

"Are you sure this is ok, Ms Lusamine?", asked Hau, just as she was about to check out.

"Oh please, dears! This is my gift to you. After what I put you through back in Alola, it's the least I could do," she said. I couldn't disagree once she had put it that way.

"Well we've had a lot of fun today. Thank you so much, Lusamine!", I said. Cole and Hau echoed my sentiments.

"But of course, darlings!". At this point, she turned to the cashier and began to talk to her.

Lillie turned to speak to us. "Hey guys, so tonight my mom has an event she's attending but I figured I can show you a bit more of the town!"

"That sounds great!", Hau said. Within minutes, we were leaving the store and headed back to Lillie and Lusamine's house.

The rest of the day came and went too quickly; we spent the rest of the afternoon frolicking outside. We all let our Pokemon out of their Pokeballs and the several of us played until the Pokemon got rowdy and we had to recall them.

Lusamine was gone by the time we came back inside; she must have left for her event already. We went ahead and proceeded to walk around the city, stopping for pizza after about half an hour. We then continued to walk around, taking in the sights of Celadon at once until we were exhausted.

It was a wonderful day, though; spending time with Hau and Lillie was wonderful but Cole also fit right in. Hau and Lillie also made a very good point how much nicer it was to be able to just hang out without worrying about trials or Ultra Beasts or combating evil organizations. We could just relax and be ourselves and be free. It was one of the best days I'd had in a long time.


	7. It's Going Down

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. If anything, Pokemon owns me. I kid.

More importantly, HAPPY PALLETSHIPPING DAY!

Wanted to wait until today to post this chapter. Enjoy! :3

—

The next morning, Lillie woke us up, offering to take us out to breakfast.

"Wow, thanks Lillie!", said Hau.

"Well, yes! I understand you guys need to head back to Pallet town and I couldn't let you go without showing you my favorite cafe in Celadon!".

Unfortunately we did need to leave Celadon, at least for now. Ash had texted me the previous night before bed asking if we could head back the next day. I wasn't really sure why but we weren't about to argue with him.

"That sounds delightful," said Cole. "I'm ready when you are!".

"Wait, where is your mom?", I asked.

"Oh…she probably wants to sleep in. She came in pretty late last night," said Lillie, looking a bit embarrassed. "You…didn't hear her come in?"

We all shook our heads, indicating that we hadn't. I wasn't sure what this was all about but I guess if nothing else, I was grateful to have slept through the night.

"Ah. Well I'm glad you all slept well. So…um…shall we?".

The four of us actually walked there, as the place was only a few blocks away. It was a cute little cafe, seemingly inspired by the Kalos region. Cole seemed appreciative of that, albeit wary that it wouldn't measure up to what Kalos itself would offer. I had crepes with fruit and some oatmeal, along with some hot tea. It was delicious! Cole seemed pleased and Hau and Lillie sure seemed to enjoy themselves as well.

With that, we were ready to head back to the train station with Lillie.

"So will you guys come back to Celadon while you're still in Kanto?", she asked.

"I would love to! Maybe after we are done with whatever we're going back to Pallet Town for," said Hau.

"Well I hope you can come back. It's been great getting to spend time with you two, and to meet you, Cole!" Lillie said.

"And it's been lovely meeting you, Lillie", Cole said.

"It's been SO good seeing you, Lillie!" said Hau.

"It really has…and please thank Lusamine for us", I added.

"I will," Lillie nodded. "I know she'll be sorry to have missed your departure, but she'll understand."

Just then, an announcement came on the loudspeaker that the train to Pallet Town had arrived.

"Well then…", Cole said. "Goodbye for now, Lillie!". He hugged her; Hau and I followed suit.

"We will definitely come back!", I said.

"I already look forward to it!", she called as we began to board.

""Bye for now, Lillie!" The three of us looked waved at Lillie, then looked back at each other, feeling closer than we had been before having just experienced such a fun time in Celadon.

The trip back to Pallet went even more quickly than the trip up to Celadon; we kept looking through the silly pictures we took at the mall and the pictures we took of our Pokemon out in Lillie's backyard. There was a hilarious picture of Hau getting tangled up with Lillie's Tangela and a really cute one of Lillie, Cole and I being embraced by Cole's Drampa. Before we knew it, we were back at the station in Pallet Town and were pleasantly surprised to see that both Ash and Gary were there to walk us back to Oak Manor.

Greetings and salutations were shared, and Cole and I handed Ash and Gary their hoodies. Ash was cheerful as a Cherrim; Gary was less cheerful but they both put them on right away. They looked good; cute, yes, but the fact that they could still look so handsome as well in such silly, cutesy clothing was impressive.

"Ugh, can we take these off now? It's too hot outside for hoodies, Ashy-boy!", Gary said, slightly scornfully.

"Haha, of course we can! I just had to try it on and thus so did you!", Ash replied.

"Of course," said Gary with a slight peripheral look of disapproval (a side-eye, if you will) in Ash's direction. "Anyway, my Gramps and Tracey are back at the lab. Tonight, a bunch of us are going out to dinner; I hope the three of you will join us."

"Wow! Thank you so much," I said; the others offered similar sentiments.

"You guys are friends of ours now; of course we'd want you to join us!", Ash added. "A couple of my other best friends from Kanto are coming too. You'll get to meet all of them tonight!"

"Indeed. So, I hope there are some dressy clothes in there," Gary said, noticing our shopping bags from the Celadon department store. Luckily we each left the store with plenty of clothing; I was confident we would be fine in that sense.

This was all very exciting; we were going to meet the Professor, as well as some of Ash and Gary's best friends, and go to a nice dinner! I was wondering if there was a special occasion or if this was just something they were doing for the fun of it. Regardless, I welcomed the opportunity.

Upon our return to Oak Manor, there were two unfamiliar men waiting for us. One appeared to be around Ash and Gary's age and had dark hair, longer and slicked back. He was wearing a green button up shirt and black slacks. The other man was older and had a distinguished air to him. That and the fact that he was wearing a lab coat could only mean he was the Professor. It was he who spoke first.

"Welcome back! So these must be your new friends?", he said to Ash and Gary. They nodded. "Why hello there! I am Professor Samuel Oak", he said as he turned to us.

"And I am Tracey Sketchit, assistant to the Professor", said the younger man, very politely but with some pep.

"Nice to meet you! I am Hau," Hau said as he did the "Alola" wave. Cole stepped forward to shake their hands as he introduced himself; I followed Cole's lead.

"Would you boys like a tour of the lab?", the Professor himself offered. Needless to say we all accepted enthusiastically and proceeded to spend the next couple hours checking every room, hallway, nook and cranny of the manor. It was truly splendid, seeing all of the technology used, the variety of resources it had to offer, and of course, all of the Pokemon! Honestly, it was utterly fascinating; as it concluded, the three of us were left awestruck.

The rest of the afternoon was rather relaxed; we talked to Tracey and the Professor about the Alola region and its Pokemon, and Hau and I once again talked about our adventures with the Aether foundation. Ash and Gary were upstairs napping or something. Once they woke, Gary urged us to get ready for the dinner and thus the three of us split to go get showered and changed.

As I undressed and headed to the bathroom, part of me wished I could see Cole shirtless again; that image was still ingrained in my head. I tried not to think about it too much while I was in the shower, though….anyway, after I finished, I dried myself, returned to my room and began to dress, donning a purple dress shirt and black dress pants.

Shortly after, there was a knock on my door that ended up being Cole, who looked gorgeous in a royal blue dress shirt, off-white pants and a matching tie. His golden brown hair swept perfectly to one side of his head, and the blue of his shirt brought out his eyes beautifully. I was speechless in a new sort of way.

"Hey baby! You look wonderful," Cole said cheerfully.

I felt my cheeks redden. "Thank you," I said, meekly. "You look….wow".

Cole laughed. "Now that's a compliment. Thanks babe," he said with a wink.

"Of course," I giggled. "Hey, do you have an extra tie? I don't want to be the only guy without one."

"Hmm…I have a blue one and a yellow one. Not sure if either of those would match," Cole admitted.

"Probably not…that's ok, though!"

"Hey, lets go ask Ash or Gary! I'm sure between the two of them, one of them would have something," Cole suggested. I had to agree, thus we headed to the room Ash and Gary shared.

Gary answered, only about half dressed himself. He looked slightly indignant but acquiesced, soon picking a silver and black houndstooth printed tie out of his collection, which itself ended up being quite the colorful myriad of ties. I supposed his profession called for a need for formalwear, having to speak at conferences and such.

"Thanks, Gary!", I offered.

"Yup. Our reservation's in about 40 minutes so we'll all meet downstairs in about 20," he said, seeming slightly annoyed as he closed the door.

"Wonder what's with him?" I said to Cole as we walked away from Gary and Ash's room.

"He does seem a bit stressed out," Cole observed. "Ah well, shall we go downstairs? We're ready, at least!".

"Sounds like a plan!", I said, giving the handsome guy a big hug. He held me close and it was at least a minute before he let me go. He was still holding on to me and we were looking directly at each other.

"You look beautiful, babe," he said, looking me straight in the eyes.

"Me?", I said, almost shocked. "You! You….you look incredible, babe. You're the beautiful one!"

"Oh stop! We can both be beautiful, how's that?", Cole offered with a smile.

"Sounds good to me!" With that, we headed downstairs to find a group of people, all dressed in fine splendor, conversing casually on the couches. Delia Ketchum, Tracey and the professor were among them but there were two others I did not recognize.

"Aiden! Cole! Come, have a seat," Tracey called out to us; he was wearing what was basically a dressier version of what he was wearing before, keeping the green color scheme. It suited him.

"Thank you," Cole said. We seated ourselves on the couch next to one of the strangers; a tall, muscular man, a little older than Ash and Gary, with dark brown hair, tanned skin, and small, intense eyes. He had a thin layer of facial hair framing his face.

"Hello there! I am Brock," he said as he extended a hand to shake. Both Cole and I accepted as we introduced ourselves.

"You're from the Alola region?", the other stranger spoke up; a pretty woman with long, natural red hair. She was wearing a seafoam green dress and a necklace with coral colored gemstones. She was sitting next to Tracey and I noticed they were holding hands.

"Why, yes! Well, I'm from Kanto originally but I moved to Alola a few years ago," I explained.

"Wow, I've heard about the Alola region. I bet it's a great place for water Pokemon!", the woman said, cheerfully. "Oh, but how rude of me not to introduce myself! I am Misty Waterflower; I'm the gym leader of Cerulean City and I've been Ash's friend ever since the beginning of his Pokemon journey!"

"How lovely!", Cole said as he got up to shake her hand; I followed suit. "Very nice to meet you, Misty!". Just then, Hau came down, looking unexpectedly dapper in a black dress shirt and mustard yellow pants and a bow tie to match. His hair was slicked back behind his head instead of his usual topknot.

"Alola!," he waved cheerfully, taking a seat next to Delia Ketchum, who looked lovely in a colorful floral-printed dress and a pink cardigan.

"Looking good, Hau!", I said to my buddy.

"You too, Aiden! You all look incredible!", Hau said cheerfully. "So…what exactly are we doing here, dressed up so fancily?" He asked what Cole and I at least had been wondering.

"I'm not sure," Brock admitted. "Gary actually called me the other day, asking if I'd be able to come meet them for dinner."

"Same here! We normally meet up at least once or twice a month, the five of us," Misty said.

"Right; Brock, Ash, Gary, Misty, and myself," Tracey clarified.

"So I just figured it was like that, only with a few more guests….and I'm usually not dressed like this!", Misty said, gesturing towards her dress.

"This is true," Tracey said with a laugh. Misty shot a scornful look at Tracey when at last, Gary and Ash arrived, looking marvelous. Ash wore a black dress shirt and pants with a red vest and bowtie. Gary dressed similarly, though he favored a long tie and his tie and vest were blue. Ash's hair looked neater than normal, and Gary's was spiked meticulously. I had a feeling that his slight rudeness earlier was because he was stressed about looking perfect for tonight, for whatever reason. Perfect would be an accurate way to describe how he looked, though.

"Ok! Lets get going; we have about 20 minutes until our reservation and it's about a ten minute drive," Gary urged. With that, we headed out. With the size of our group, we had to split into two cars and even then we filled both cars. Cole, Hau and I went in one car with Delia and Ash, while Gary, Professor Oak, Misty, Tracey, and Brock all went in Brock's car. It was definitely cozy, especially with Pikachu sititing with Cole, Hau and I in the backseat, but not uncomfortable.

Cole was brave enough to ask Ash what this dinner was about and even he had no clue. "It was all Gary's idea. I'm not sure if there was any particular reason or if he just wanted to get everyone together since it had been awhile, with us having been in Alola for most of the past few years," Ash said. "I figure that's it," he nodded.

"Pi-kachu!", concurred the Pokemon.

That did make sense; I had forgotten how long it had been since I first met them on Poni Island and that they probably hadn't been back in Kanto since then, at least.

We arrived at what appeared to be a very classy restaurant in Viridian City and were ushered to a private room with a large, circular table. I noticed as we were walking that there was a small stage with live music playing; we couldn't hear it as well in this private room but it still helped create a pleasant atmosphere.

Within minutes, a duo of servers introduced themselves and took our drink orders. I noticed that most of the adults ordered wine or some sort of alcoholic beverage, with the exceiption of Professor Oak. I supposed that was within their right; I was a few years away from legal drinking age but didn't see the need to rush into trying anything like that.

I honestly had no idea what to order; half the menu I didn't even know what the dishes were and the rest of it looked excellent but all equally so. Luckily, Cole knew a bit more about the dishes. With his help, I picked the boeuf bourguignon and was looking forward to devouring it…as classily as possible, of course.

We were having a very nice time; I was seated between Cole and Misty, the latter of whom was asking me questions about Alola. She was shocked to learn I was Alola's champion.

"Shut up! Tracey, did you know this kid is the champion of his region!", she said, getting her boyfriend's attention.

"Yes babe; I got to know Aiden and the gang earlier today," Tracey said, trying to placate her a bit.

"Wow! And it was you who stopped that Aether foundation from destroying the world with those Ultra Beast things? You are something else, kid!", Misty said, clearly impressed.

"Heh, thank you," I said, humbled. I honestly didn't think I was anything special, besides, that had all been a few years ago. What have I done of significance since then?

Cole seemed to notice my emotion, as he put one arm around me and grabbed my hand with his other.

On the other side of the table, I noticed that Gary was already on his third glass of wine; mostly everyone else was still on their first.

"Look, Cole", I said, subtly gesturing towards Gary.

"Goodness, he's in it to win it!", said Cole, jovially but still concerned.

"I'm hoping he's ok," I said. I turned to Misty, being careful to speak in a hushed tone.

"Does Gary….normally drink like this when you all go out to dinner?"

She shook her head. "No…this is very unlike Gary. Tracey and I are a bit concerned just as you boys are."

Mercifully, the food came. My meal was utterly delectable. As I ate, I realized that in addition to having some wonderful memories, I've had some excellent meals during my time here in Kanto, and this was definitely at the top of the list. I looked over; Cole was enjoying his coq au vin, Hau had a sort of flatbread that was probably intended for two people, and Misty was eating some sort of seafood dish. Everyone was enjoying their plates.

The overall feeling of the room was calm and content as we finished our meals, collectively. Ash had insisted on ordering a desert and a few others, Hau included, followed suit. Cole and I shared a chocolate chip pudding cake that was ridiculously good! Plus, it was fun to share a dish with Cole. I was hoping to share many more things with him over the course of time.

Gary surprised all of us by paying the bill. Everyone's bill. The whole thing. All of it!

After a barrage of shocked looks and "oh no, you don't have to"s, Gary began to explain himself.

"I'm not going to invite all of you out to an expensive dinner and force you to pay for yourselves! That's just ridiculous."

I noticed that he was keeping his composure pretty well, despite having had three glasses of wine.

After that, the protests diminished, though some still insisted but he would hear nothing of it.

"Wow….thank you, Gary," Hau said, sincerely. Many echoed his thanks, myself and Cole included.

"Thank you all for coming," he responded. "I wanted all of the most important people in my life, and Ash's, here tonight." At this point, he was standing, while the rest of us were seated. At this point, I noticed the door open a crack, very slightly, then close again. I didn't understand why but figured it didn't matter.

Gary continued to speak but he turned to Ash. "Ashy-boy, do you know what today is?"

"Um…well, it's April 4th….and it's a Tuesday…?", Ash responded, hesitantly.

"Right. Anyway, I don't know why but something about today feels special. So look, Ash. I have something for you. Pikachu?", Gary began.

From where I was sitting, I saw nothing and thus was confused by the silence that followed Gary saying "Pikachu". Shortly after, I understood as I saw Pikachu jump up onto Ash's lap and handed him something; oddly, it was just a small bag shaped like a Pikachu. That must have been an interesting existential moment for Pikachu, though he didn't seem to mind as he was gently nuzzling Ash as Ash was examining the bag.

"Oooh, I love the bag, Gary! I told you I wanted a new one…", Ash began.

"Good, I'm glad you like it, Ash," Gary said as he put a hand on Ash's shoulder.

"Now, open it up; see how much room there will be for all of your things!". There was something behind his eyes in that moment.

I was honestly a little confused. Why was he giving Ash a bag? Is this why he invited all of us out? I mean, the dinner was wonderful and all…

"OH MY…!" Ash exclaimed, not even able to finish whatever exclamation he had in mind; he was breathless. He held one hand over his chest, trying to calm himself, while with the other hand he was examining something small and shiny. As soon as I realized what it was, Gary got down on one knee and put his hands over Ash's.

"Ash Ketchum. I have known you my entire life, nearly. And, Ash, nearly that whole time, I have loved you."

They were staring each other very intently in the eyes, never breaking contact. "I can't imagine a life without you. I thought I was going to have to live without you when I didn't see you for many years, during our respective travels. But then when I saw you that day, ten years ago today, when we spent all night by the creek…I felt hope for the first time in a long time. The things we have shared, the love we have cultivated; you mean more to me than you know. I don't tell you often enough how much you mean to me. But the point is; you are everything to me and I want to be stay with you all of our days."

He gently let go of Ash's hands for a moment, only to grab the ring from Ash's hands, holding it right between them. My heart was pounding so hard; I could only imagine how either of the two of them felt. All eyes were on them as the tension and suspense was flooding the room.

He slipped the ring onto Ash's finger.

"So, how about it, Ash Ketchum? Will you marry me?"

—


	8. Oh, Starry Night

Quick note about this chapter: This chapter will be the first of possibly a few in someone else's POV. In this case, it's everyone's favorite Ashy-boy :)

—

"Ash Ketchum? Will you marry me?"

I could feel that every pair of eyes in the room was on me, but the only one that concerned me was Gary's, into which I was staring directly.

Those words; they left Gary Oak's mouth seconds ago but they stood there, suspended in time, right in front of me.

It's what I was hoping he would say in that moment but still, I was stunned. Speechless. I remained as such for a moment until Gary's face began to show concern.

"Um, Ash?"

That was enough to snap me back into reality.

"YES! Don't be ridiculous, Gary, of course I'll marry you!", I managed to say coherently as tears welled up in my eyes. Nobody seemed to notice, as the room began cheering and clapping at the same time as I began crying. Tears of joy, yes, but tears all the same. Luckily, my beautiful man noticed and took me in his arms. Man, I love Gary so much. And he loves me. Enough to ask me to marry him! What? It was so crazy and amazing and wonderful.

Aiden and Cole made their way up to where we were to congratulate us; the next few minutes were spent being congratulated by everyone else. I don't even know; everything was kind of a blur at this point, but the atmosphere was pure happiness.

Suddenly, Hau ran into the room.

"Hey guys…Aiden and Cole wanted you to come meet them in the main area of the restaurant…by the stage," he said, looking almost as confused as the rest of us. I didn't even know they left the room!

"Um…ok?" Gary said. "Shall we, babe?" He extended his hand, which I took. Together, we walked out to the lobby to find Aiden, Cole, and a beautiful aquatic Pokemon on the stage where that live band was playing earlier. Cole took a seat by the piano.

"Ash, Gary; this here is my first Pokemon; my partner, Primarina," Aiden explained, gesturing towards the Pokemon. "She loves to sing and dance. We wanted to offer you a song to celebrate your engagement." He then nodded towards Cole, who began playing the piano, rather beautifully I had to admit.

Following that was a beautiful, almost otherworldly voice. Primarina's song complimented the piano playing so well. I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder; I turned around to see the face of my fiancé.

"Would you care to dance, Ashy-boy?", Gary said with a devilish smirk as he extended his hand.

"Um…sure!". I really didn't know how to dance but it didn't matter; nothing seemed more romantic to me than to dance with Gary Oak, especially right there and then, even if it was at a restaurant with a number of confused onlookers.

I grabbed Gary's hand and we began stepping in time with the music. I let Gary lead; I didn't know what I was doing but I felt comfortable in his hands. I looked into his eyes and let him guide me. In that moment, I felt so connected to him it was almost as though time stopped. The music was the only thing that proved me that time still existed as it helped us move our bodies along the floor; I even let him twirl me around a couple of times! I…would never do that for anyone but Gary!

When the music stopped, so did our dance. I gave him a hug and a kiss as people, some of the strangers included, applauded. I went up to Aiden afterwards. "Thank you! That was so sweet of you," I said, still on cloud nine.

"Hehe, it was Cole's idea," he said, gesturing to his boyfriend.

"Yes, I'm not sure what came over me, but we were both so happy and excited for you guys and…", Cole began.

"It was very nice," Gary cut in. "Thanks, boys." I could tell he meant it.

As the ten of us shuffled outside of the restaurant, more hugs and congratulations were exchanged. I was so glad that all of these people were here to witness this event. It meant a lot to me that Gary invited all of them here; even the Alola boys, who we both had grown fond of.

"Well, what do you want to do next," Gary asked me once we had a moment to ourselves.

"Hm…Gary, lets walk back to Pallet town," I suddenly decided.

"That's a bit of a walk away, Ashy-boy! How much have you had to drink?" Gary said with a laugh.

"It's not that bad! Plus, it could be romantic. And…I kind of want to be with just you for a bit," I admitted.

"I mean, I don't blame you," he responded, winking at me. "Ok, fine. We'll take a nice stroll back to the lab."

When we told the rest of the gang our decision, everyone understood. I'm sure they didn't mind having a bit more room in the cars, anyway.

We began to walk, and once we were out of the sight of the busier part of the street, I grabbed onto Gary's arm, resting my head on his shoulder.

"Gary, I love you. I'm so happy". The words just came out.

"Good. I love you too, Ashy boy," he leaned down, kissing the top of my head. We then stopped to face each other and kissed each other on the lips a few times, then continued kissing for a good minute until finally Gary, ever the logical one, advised that we continue. I couldn't help myself; I was just proposed to by the most handsome man on the planet! Of course I was excited.

We continued to walk down Route 1, our hands interlocked. It was a nice night, and as we approached Pallet town, we were able to see more stars in the sky. As we got closer, I pulled Gary off to the left.

"Gary, this way!". He didn't really question me this time. We continued to walk hand in hand but in single file down a narrow path that went through an open field for maybe half a mile, until we reached a familiar point.

"Ash…this is the creek!", Gary said, slightly impressed.

"Yes! We've shared many important moments in this creek, I thought we should come down this way tonight…since this is probably the most important day of my life so far," I admitted, the words once again exiting my mouth so freely, almost involuntarily.

"I'm glad you feel that way, Ash," Gary said, kissing me once, and again.

Almost instinctively, we sat down next to one another, our adjacent arms around each other, our opposite hands interlocked.

"Look at all the stars, Ashy-boy," he said, looking upward. I was amazed to see the sky; it was perfectly clear, showing more stars than I'd ever seen at once.

"A full moon, too!", I noticed. "This is perfect, Gary,"

"It really is, isn't it, Ash?"

We just sat there for a few minutes in silence; taking in this moment. The beautiful sky, the calm rippling of the river's waters, and the amazing feelings welling up inside me. Being so physically close to Gary Oak, right after he proposed to me….there were no words.

"Ash," Gary spoke.

"Yeah!", I said, suddenly back to reality, kind of.

"I was just thinking about that day we spent here as kids; how we were both fishing, and we caught the same Pokeball."

"Oh yeah!". I sure remembered; heck I still had my half of the Pokeball; I wore it a lot during my travels when we were apart but I still wore the Pokeball half sometimes, just for the sentimental value.

"Well, I was just thinking…that was practically half our lifetime ago. And here we are today. That day we were fishing, though…would either of us even imagined we'd be here today, so many years later, in love and engaged to be married?"

"Wow." His words got me thinking.

"And now I'm thinking of that time more recently, a decade ago. Had you not shown up at this very same creek, and had I not happened to be at that same place, same time as you…what could have happened? Would we still be sitting here today? We could be off in completely different parts of the world, doing completely different things."

"Gary…I…"…these words. They were eerily familiar….

"I don't know, I'm just saying, we better thank Arceus that we were at the right place at the right time," he concluded.

"You got that right!", I said. "Say, Gary. This is just like that night at the Silver Conference," I said.

"I can see what you mean," he conceded. "There's even a full moon!"

"Right! Just…I remember that night as one I both cherished and regretted…because it was the first time you started to open your heart up to me, but I didn't recognize it or appreciate it at the time".

"Oh, Ashy," he said as rubbed my back gently. "We've talked about this. It's ok. We're here now and I couldn't be happier."

"Me neither, Gary." I had nothing more to say at the moment. I was so happy, words could not do justice to how I felt. My mouth was stuck in a close-mouthed grin, practically purring as Gary moved his hand up and down my back. I laid my head on his shoulder. He moved his arms around me and we slipped down so that we both ourselves laying on the ground in each others arms, looking up at the beautiful night sky. It had to have been the most comfortable position imaginable; how long we stayed this way, I'm not sure. Could have been a minute, or possibly an hour.

…all I know is that I woke up in our room at Oak Manor. I was in bed, and Gary was crawling in with me. He was only in his underwear.

"Goodnight, my Ashy-boy," he said as he kissed me.


	9. Flowers and Sun

Fic done

Well hey there. It's been awhile…sorry ._. I had a near-terminal case of writer's block and it didn't help that my feel attempts to continue were circumvented when my computer crashed last month. Anyway, I'm back and determined to finish this story!

As for POVs, we are starting in Ash's but will switch back to Aiden's mid-chapter.

Disclaimer: I own a few things, I guess, but Pokemon aint one of them!

—

Six months later…

We were in Celadon city, about to go into the gym to talk to Erika. Luckily, almost surprisingly, Gary had been pretty calm as far as the wedding planning had gone so far. We set a date for April 4th the next year; it just seemed right. That said, we had plenty of time but we wanted to get as much done early as we could. We were here in Celadon to figure out floral arrangements…

"Ready, Gary?", I asked.

"Oh yes," Gary answered, slightly facetiously. "As if the fact that I'm a man marrying another man isn't gay enough. Florals! At a gay wedding in the spring. How groundbreaking! How fabulous!". The sarcasm was practically dripping from his words like sap from a Morelull. I laughed a lot.

"You know that I'm happy with anything. The fact that I'm marrying Gary Oak is what matters to me," I stated.

"But yes, fabulous this will be", I continued, giggling. Gary laughed too.

"Well, lets head on in, then!". With that, he grabbed my hand and in we went.

We were greeted by a young blonde; she looked to be around the same age as Aiden and Hau.

"Hello, there! How can I help? You're…not here to make a challenge, are you?", she asked awkwardly, implying that we couldn't possibly be young enough to be doing that!

Gary laughed. "Not today. We have an appointment with Erika at 11. I realize we're a bit early,"

"Oh!", the girl was taken aback. "My apologies, sirs. She is finishing up a match but will be available shortly."

"That's fine, we can wait. Thank you," I said. It'll be good to see Erika again; she'd become a friend to Gary and us over the years but we hadn't seen her in awhile.

"I am Lillie, by the way; one of Erika's trainers," the girl introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you! I am Ash Ketchum and this is Gary," I said, introducing us both.

"Thanks, Ash", Gary said dryly.

"Wait; you're Ash and Gary! I've heard a lot about you…", Lillie began.

She's heard a lot about us? Wait a second….

Gary must have had the same thought. "Say, Lillie…you wouldn't happen to know a few fine gentlemen by the names of Aiden, Hau and Cole, would you?"

"Wow! Yes! That's me! I'm their friend Lillie they came with you to see a few months ago!", Lillie said excitedly. "Oh my goodness! They told me all about your proposal and it just sounded so beautiful! You were so sweet to include them in the dinner!"

As she was speaking, I heard a door open and footsteps approach. I turned back to see Erika's familiar face, but she didn't interrupt Lillie, who was still speaking excitedly. She gave a friendly smile and a wave, which I reciprocated, as did Gary.

"Aiden was so dumbfounded; he didn't even know Cole played piano, but when they were back here, they recreated the song he and Primarina did; it was so beautiful! And…OH! Hi, Erika! Sorry", she said, slightly embarrassed as she noticed Erika.

Erika just laughed. "No worries, Lillie. I take it you know each other?"

"Not exactly," Gary began. "But we have a group of mutual friends".

"How nice. Anyway, shall we discuss some options, gentlemen?" Erika offered. We began to head out towards the garden, but not before I said goodbye to Lillie.

"Hey, very nice to meet you, Lillie!", I called back.

"Nice to meet you two too!", she responded. I noticed she was pulling her phone out and I could just guess who she was contacting…

—

It was a beautiful day on the beach. Seasons were different in Alola; we didn't really have "autumn" here but it was fine; it was just a milder summer at this point.

I turned to look at Cole, my boyfriend of about six months. As I looked at him basking in the sun, looking as radiant as the sun itself, I started thinking reflectively. How less than a year ago, I'd never liked anybody "like that" before, never been on a date, never been in love…and now, I was head over heels in love with this fascinating man.

And everything we've shared. Heck, our relationship began with a trip to Kanto! An eventful trip that was too; we spent time with Lillie at Celadon, witnessed a marriage proposal between two amazing men (a couple who I've come to really look up to), traveled to the Indigo Plateau. I had to laugh as I thought about that last part.

Cole looked over to me. "What's so funny, babe? Is that guy who thinks he's a wingull out again?"

I laughed at his comment. "No, I was just thinking about the Kanto trip again," I began.

"Aw, babe. I think about that trip a lot too," Cole said with a smile.

"Yes, well, more specifically, our trip to go meet Lance, Kanto's champion," I continued.

Cole looked embarrassed. "Oh my!"; he started to laugh as well. "Like how you played your 'I am Champion of Alola' card, pretending you had urgent, inter-regional business to discuss?"

"When I really just wanted you to meet him?", I sighed quickly in between the laughter.

"Aw, the fact that you did that for me was so sweet, though. You knew I idolize Lance," Cole said, leaning over to give me a quick kiss.

I blushed just a little. I loved when he would just spontaneously kiss me like that.

"It wasn't that awkward, really. Lance was nice enough…although he did seem a bit confused," I said, resuming the laughter.

"I thought it was pretty cool that he offered me a battle! I almost won, too!" Cole said.

"You did! He really wasn't holding back, either. I could tell." Cole really did fight well that day. It was rather attractive, honestly.

"Heh. Hey babe, how much longer do you want to stay out here?", Cole asked.

"Well, we're meeting Hau and Gladion for dinner at 6:00. And it's…"I grabbed my phone to check the time, only to see I had a text from Lillie. It read as follows:

"OMG AIDEN! I JUST MET ASH AND GARY, THEY ARE HERE TO PICK OUT FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THEIR WEDDING!"

"Hey Cole, look," I said, showing him the text from Lillie.

"Floral arrangements. How adorable", Cole said, rolling his eyes. We both laughed.

"You goof," I said, messing up his hair. He kissed me. I kissed him back.

"Oh! Um…yeah it's about 4:20. We should get back so we can get showered and changed before dinner".

"Ok, babe", said Cole. With that, we headed back.

Not long after we returned from our trip, Cole ended up moving to Hau'loui city, instead of basically living in the Poni Plains. I basically lived at his place, too, spending nearly as much time there as I did in my own home. It was there where we went to shower and change.

As I was getting ready, Lillie's text got me thinking about Ash and Gary. I wondered how they were doing. I texted with them (Ash, mostly) every once in awhile but the fact that I hadn't really seen them since their proposal made me wonder how they really were doing. That was such a beautiful night; and Cole surprised me too with his piano abilities! I didn't know he could play and now, he and my Primarina perform almost every week in various spots throughout Alola. It was a fun thing for us and plus, I get to enjoy their beautiful music when I go with. Cole is comfortable enough with her that sometimes they go alone.

Ready to go, I went downstairs to find Cole had finished getting ready first; he looked dashing as always in a short sleeved blue button up shirt with yellow shorts. I was wearing my favorite black star-print polo with pink shorts. We stood together and looked in the mirror.

"We're so cute, aren't we babe," Cole said, kissing my cheek.

I blushed. "I won't disagree!"

"Great. Well, off to Iki town we go!"

—

Well I kind of just did this all in one sitting. I hope you liked it XD


	10. Trust

Dinner was interesting enough. I'd seen Gladion periodically since we returned to Alola from Kanto, but not as often as we saw Hau. I figured he was busy doing work for Aether, but Hau and him had grown to become pretty close friends, so who knows.

We talked about Gladion's work for Aether, and he asked if I'd had any challengers lately (which, yes, a few here and there but nothing to write home about), and Gladion mentioned how he still needed to hear this duo of Cole and Primie (as I call her).

"Actually, we have a gig coming up later this week," Cole mentioned. "Right on the stage in the mall in Hau'loui's shopping district."

"Ooh, when?" Gladion and Hau both seemed interested.

"It's either Wednesday or Thursday. I'll double check when I get home," Cole said.

"Ooh, I hope it's Wednesday. Thursday is grandpa's birthday. He's turning 60!," Hau said. "I was hoping you all could come for a feast; there will be dancing! Cake and ice cream, too!".

"Ooh, that sounds fun," I spoke up. I'm not sure if this would be the time, but ever since we saw Ash and Gary dancing together the night of their proposal, I've wanted to dance with Cole. Fewer things seemed more romantic than dancing with him.

We began to head out.  
"Ooh! Lets take a picture and send it to Lillie," Hau suggested once we made it outside. Having longer arms, I was tasked with taking the actual picture; after a few silly attempts, we finally got a picture in which all four of us looked good, though Gladion wasn't really smiling. Although he'd matured warmed up to us over the years since I met him, he still wasn't the most smiley of people. I promptly sent the picture both Lillie and Hau (separately).

"Thanks for joining us! See you Thursday, I hope!", Hau said.

"Yes! And I'll let you know about the performance once we get back home," Cole responded. With that, we parted ways.

As we were walking, a stream of texts from Lillie came in. First was a trio of "face with hearts for eyes" emojis, followed by a "Hey guys! Wish I was there", followed by a "So are my brother and Hau just friends or….?". I stopped at that last one and showed Cole.

"Thoughts?"

"Hmm…I never thought about it. You know Gladion better than I do, though," Cole said.

"This is true, but…I don't know. If they are, great, but if not, that's fine too, I guess", I concluded, not sure what to think or if it even mattered.

"Heh. Good talk," Cole joked.

"I hope you can make it to this thing on Thursday. Sounds fun," I said, changing the subject.

"True. We'll see about this gig," Cole shrugged.

"Right; I want to go but I don't like missing you two, either," I said, debating.

He laughed. "You don't HAVE to go to all of my gigs, babe. You probably know our songs just as well as Primie and I do at this point. "

"I know I don't have to but I like going to support you. Both of you." By then we were approaching his house.

"I know, and I love that, babe" He leaned over to kiss me. "Anyway, we're here, I can check in just a second," he said as he unlocked and opened the door and promptly grabbed his phone off the charger. He thumbed through the calendar app. "Ooh…yeah, the gig is Thursday."

"Aw, Pidgey poop!", I exclaimed, frustrated. Sensing this, Cole came over and put his arm around me.

"It's ok, babe. Go have fun with your friends; maybe I can stop by after. The gig's at 8, you'll probably still be celebrating by the time we're done". He gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"True; that would be awesome if you could stop by afterward!", I said, excited by the realization.

"Also, 'Pidgey Poop?' That's the best you could come up with?", Cole teased.

"Shut up," I said, laughing. I hit him with a pillow and he began to tickle me and we laughed; this silliness lasted through the next few minutes.

"But really, you're not a Pidgey anymore, love," Cole said once we regrouped.

"I'm…what?", I asked, slightly confused.

"What I mean is…you've grown since I first met you. I've seen you become more confident…as you should be, you're the Champion! And you take my shenanigans like a pro now. It's almost like you've evolved, in a way," he explained.

"Oh…"I blushed. That was some unexpected insight but I appreciated it. Thinking about it, I could see where he was coming from, but I also wondered how much of this growth was thanks to him.

"So…" I began.

"Yeah, you're at least a Pidgeotto now", he said lightheartedly.

"HA! Thanks, Cole" I said. Then the tickle-fighting continued; we play-fought our way through the rest of the night.

Thursday came; we spent the afternoon on the beach. I didn't love spending toooo much time on the beach, as I tended to burn easily. I had recently acquired a special sunblock that supposedly was imbued with a Clefable's magic or something. Either way, it seemed to work well. A perk to being Champion; I'd occasionally get free samples of fancy products like this.

I looked over at Cole basking in the sun's rays; unlike me, he looked at home in the sun, as if he was Solgaleo himself. So radiant. He didn't need special Clefable sunblock. Must be nice, I thought, but I couldn't be too jealous.

Eventually, we headed back to his place, showered, and dressed for our respective events. I had on a floral print shirt and mint-ggreen shorts. Cole, meanwhile, looked ever so dapper in his suit. We made our way outside and walked together until we had to go our separate ways. As we stood on the street corner, Cole grabbed my hands and I turned so we stood face to face.

"Have fun tonight, ok? I will text you as soon as the gig's out," he said, looking into my eyes.

"Good luck tonight," I said, handing him Primarina's Pokeball, but not before giving the ball a quick kiss.

"You be good for Cole, ok? I'll be thinking of you both," I whispered to Primarina's Pokeball. I'd only been apart from her on one other occasion.

"Heh, you're so cute," Cole said. I only blushed a little; I never got sick of hearing him telling me that.

"I hope you can make it to at least some of the festival. It'll be fun but more fun with you, of course", I told him.

"I'll do my best. It's not a long set, I should be done playing by 8:30," he told me.

"Great. Well, good luck, have fun, see you soon!", I said, giving him a kiss on the lips. He kissed me back a couple times before we parted ways.

When I arrived in Iki town, I saw several familiar faces, including Hau, Gladion, my mother, Professor Kukui, Professor Burnet, Ilima Mallow, Kiawe, Lana and Hapu as well Olivia, Acerola and Kahili of the elite four. It was a good crowd.

Hau spotted me immediately and ran out to greet me.

"Aiden! Glad you could make it, friend", he declared.

"Me too! Cole told me he'll try to make it once his gig is done," I informed him.

"Great! I'm sure there will be some food leftover," Hau said as he ushered me to the area in which food was being served. It was a buffet-style set up and included a variety of Alolan delicacies. I filled my plate with a variety of items so that I could try everything. As I perused the eating area for a table, I saw Gladion sitting alone at a table; I immediately headed that way so as to give him some company.

"Where's your boyfriend?", he asked immediately.

"Hello to you too, Gladion", I jibed. "Cole has a gig," I began.

"With your Primarina?" I nodded and he continued. "You mean, you just let him take your Pokemon? That doesn't bother you?"

"Not really. I mean, I'm not used to not having her around, but I trust Cole," I explained. "He should be here later, after the gig anyway."

"I see. Trust….", Gladion seemed to ponder the thought, as if it were a foreign concept. I sat there wordlessly, letting him ponder. It was he who broke the momentary silence.

"What's it like dating a guy?"

I was a bit taken aback. "Um, well, I've never dated a girl so I have nothing to compare it to," I started.

"Heh. Me neither," he said, allowing a momentary smirk.

"But I like it! He makes me happy; he makes me feel safe." I'm not sure why I was being so open with Gladion, but I didn't see any reason not to be.

"Heh. Well that must be nice." I couldn't tell what his intent was behind that remark. I thought back to Lillie's question the other day but before I could ponder too much, I noticed that the whole area went silent as Hala stepped out onto the battling ring where Hau and I had our first battle. It was being used more like a stage on this occasion.

"Hello, all and thank you for coming! I appreciate you coming out to celebrate the 60th anniversary of my birth."

Looking at Hala, I was impressed. 60 years old, almost 4 times my age, and still had as much energy and fire as ever.

"I hope you've gotten enough to eat but if not, there is plenty more," he continued, offering a hearty laugh. As he continued to speak, I glanced at my phone just to check the time. It was just after 8; Cole and Primie would have begun performing by now.

"Anyway, I wanted to keep this short, so enough of that. I now ask Kiawe of Akala Island come to the stage!"

Hala stepped back as Kiawe made his way on stage. He was accompanied by two men with large drums strapped around them, four female dancers, and his two dancing Marowak. The drums began to beat, creating an upbeat rhythm. Kiawe was in the center of the stage and began to dance, and as the volume increased, more people and Pokemon began to dance; first the female dancers, then the Marowak, then some more male and female dancers made their way onto the stage. As they did, the female dancers originally on stage gracefully pulled out four Pokeballs each, bringing out four Oricorio, one with each coloring variation.

As the Oricorio came out, the crowd sprang to their feet (those who weren't already standing or dancing), and an uproar of cheering filled the area. One by one, all of the guests began dancing in the crowd. It wasn't long before Had found Gladion and I and grabbed each of us by the hand and we all began to dance as well.

It was quite the spectacle; several people and Pokemon, all dancing to the beat of the drums. I looked to the stage; Kiawe was so fierce, so graceful. I could never hope to match his elegance on stage but I didn't feel awkward. I was having fun with my friends; that's what counted in that moment.

Eventually, I was getting tired and needed to take a break. It was 8:40 and Cole hadn't texted me yet. I was trying not to worry and was thankful for the distraction. I got up to grab something to drink when I ran into Mallow and Acerola.

"Aiden! Good to see you, friend," Mallow said, ever pleasant and cheerful. "Are you having a good time?"

"I am," I said, not completely untruthfully. I was having a good time, despite worrying about Cole. "I just needed to take a break; I'm not used to all this dancing."

"I hear that," Acerola chimed in with a goofy grin. "I might as well have two left feet!". All three of us laughed.

"Still, it's nice to see everyone come together for no purpose other than to celebrate and be merry," said Mallow. I nodded in agreement when I saw that my phone had lit up.

It was Cole. "Hey babe, I'm sorry. I'll be over soon," read the text. I felt relieved.

"Well, Aiden, I think we're ready to go back and join the other trial captains in our little dance circle. Would you care to join us?", Mallow offered.

"I'll wait a little longer, if that's ok," I told him. I didn't want to dance again until Cole was with me.

"Suit yourself," said Acerola. "You'll know where to find us!". It was true; all of the present trial captains, Kiawe aside, had formed a little dancing circle in the crowd. The group of them were hard to miss.

It wasn't long before Cole showed up; his tie was undone slightly and he draped his coat over his shoulder but he still looked dapper as ever. I ran out to greet him.

"Hey babe," I said, hugging him. "How was the gig?"

"Twas fine", he said, giving me Primarina's poke ball back. "Wish you could have been there, though."

"Is everything ok? Did something go wrong?". I noticed he seemed a bit distressed.

"Well, Patrick was there."

"Patrick, your ex? From Kalos?". My eyes widened a bit. I trusted Cole but why on earth would his ex be in Alola?

"Yeah…he's here on family vacation and apparently just happened to be in the mall, but I have reason to believe he knew I'd be there," Cole said, sounding uneasy. "It was a strange coincidence at best".

"Did he…", I began, not entirely sure what to say or think.

"Nothing happened, babe. He stopped me as I was heading out; I almost didn't recognize him since he was dressed like a normal person instead of a Team Flare grunt," Cole said.

"I see." This was all a little weird. I'd never dated anybody before Cole. Cole told me he dated a guy when he still lived in Kalos but they broke up after a few months because the guy was really adamant about the two of them joining Team Flare together and Cole refused.

"Anyway, enough of that. How's the party?", he asked, ready to change the subject.

"It's been fun!" I followed him as he began to pile some food onto a plate; he hadn't eaten before or after the gig and was quite famished. "But it's better now that you're here." I sighed.

We sat down at a table. I didn't really mind that Cole saw his ex, necessarily. I trust Cole. But then I couldn't relate to the "having an ex" thing and it was weird, thinking about someone else loving Cole. It didn't bother me, per se, but it wasn't my favorite thing to think about.

"Mm, this is delicious!" Cole said in between bites of food, which helped me snap out of my mini-funk. I looked across the table to Cole. This is now. His ex is in the past. In the past he shall stay. I am in Cole's present, and he in mine.

"Do you want to dance?" I asked him, seizing the moment. Cole's eyes widened a bit for a split second before his face reformed into a bit of a smirk. "It will be my honor, babe," he said, offering me his hand.

Hand in hand we made our way into the crowd. We began to groove to the rhythm of the drums. We were having fun with it, flailing our arms about, shuffling our feet, laughing as we went. He grabbed my hands and twirled me around a little bit; I smiled and I laughed.

Maybe we would talk more about his run-in with his ex tomorrow; maybe we wouldn't. It didn't matter. All that mattered was this moment: Dancing in the moonlight with Cole, surrounded by friends, having just eaten some great food. Nothing else mattered.


	11. Glistening Gems

Note/Disclaimer: HIIIIII ok thanks to those of you who have read and reviewed and supported this silly story from the start. I probably only have a couple more chapters after this one. But for now, enjoy what could be considered my gayest chapter yet! And of course, I do not own Pokemon, this is just for funsies!

—

It was the weekend following Hala's birthday and thus far it had been lovely. It began with another gig for Cole and Primie, on Friday; this one was at the Tidesong Hotel on Akala Island. Since part of the deal was a free weekend stay at the hotel, we decided to make a little weekend getaway out of it.

It goes without saying that Cole and Primarina played and sang beautifully. One thing of note, though, was that there seemed to be more passion in Cole's playing than I was used to seeing that night. It was all the better for Primarina, as this elevation in Cole's performance motivated her to follow suit. The result was a dazzling performance, stopping many a passerby in their tracks. My heart seemed to stop as well. To see my starter and my boyfriend work in harmony like that was an edifying experience.

We took off early the next morning to take a hike around Brooklet Hill. It was still dark when we woke but we made it in time to watch the sun rise from the top of the hill. Together we sat with his arm around me for only Arceus knows how long; time may as well have stopped. It wasn't until a familiar voice called down that we snapped back in reality.

"HEY! DO YOU LOVERBOYS WANT SOME BREAKFAST?".

Startled, we turned and saw Lana with a friendly wave. I waved back, slightly embarrassed, but what followed was a simple but delicious breakfast.

"We're going up to Konikoni city next," I informed Lana as we finished.

"Oh, great! I'm headed to visit Mallow; it should be on the way, if you don't me tagging along," she said playfully.

"Not at all," answered Cole and the three of us soon continued to walk down Route 5. This portion of the journey was actually rather quick but we had fun talking about boys and giggling. Apparently Lana actually did manage to lure a hunky male swimmer to save her from her own Trial site, only to find that the man was married. Alas.

"It's always something, isn't it?", Cole commented as Lana concluded her story. She shook her head as she sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Well hello! I didn't know THEY were joining you," came a playful voice.

"Hi, Mallow," I answered. "I never thanked you for all the food for Hala's birthday festival. Cole and I just finished all the leftovers last night!". Cole nodded to confirm.

"Oh that's wonderful to hear. Glad you liked it, boys," Mallow said, giving a twirl. It was amusing, watching her pigtails whirl as she did so. "Are you joining us for the cooking class, then?"

"Cooking class? I'm afraid not," Cole responded, slightly regretful.

"Yeah this was just a chance encounter," Lana mused. "It was a delight to see you two, though. Thank you for accompanying me this morning," she said as she gave a little curtsey.

"Aww; yes, great running into you! You have a great day, whatever you're getting into," Mallow added.

"We shall! Wonderful seeing you two as well," I said as we waved goodbye.

Onward we continued from there and within hours (and with the help of a certain tauros), we made it to Konikoni city in time for lunch. We entered a small cafe which was mostly empty, save for…

"BROCK?" I recognized the man from Ash and Gary's proposal dinner. But what was he doing here, of all places?

"Well hello there, gentlemen! Aiden and Cole, right? Here, have a seat," he gestured to the other side of his table. We obliged and soon after, a server came and took our order.

"So, what am I doing here of all places, you're probably wondering," Brock began. "Well, I'm still working as the Gym Leader to Pewter City part time, but I'm currently studying Pokemon Medicine and I have a side business where I sell some of my homemade Pokemon snacks."

"Wow!". Brock is one of the people with whom I didn't get to interact much at that dinner back in Kanto, but he was an impressive person, as it turned out.

"The latter two things are what bring me here. My younger brother is watching over the gym, so I know it's in good hands, but I have a meeting with a possible client later today. They're interested in my snacks but also want to discuss a possible residency within one of their branches once I get to that point in my studies," he continued to explain.

"Wow, sounds like an important meeting," I commented.

"Yeah, no pressure or anything," Cole added with a slight undertone of sarcasm. I covered my mouth, slightly embarrassed.

"Ha, no worries, boys. If nothing else, I'm excited to spend a few days in Alola! Not only is it beautiful here, but this could be a great place for research as well. I'll have to come back sometime, one way or another…"

"Let us know if you do! We can show you around," I chimed in enthusiastically.

"Alola does have a great champion," Cole added, with a flirtatious nudge in my direction.

"Heh; that's good to know. Tell you what, my meeting isn't for another couple hours. Maybe you wouldn't mind showing me around this city here, to start?"

We happily obliged; after finishing lunch, we took a promenade around the city, stopping at the edge where we could overlook the water. Also present was a young Pokemon breeder with a trio of pikachu. I thought of Ash.

"How are Ash and Gary doing, Brock?"

"They're doing great! Pretty busy and a little stressed but I can tell they're excited about the wedding, even if they won't outwardly say so," he explained.

"Heh. Fair enough," said Cole. Meanwhile, the gal with the pikachu came to approach us.

"Hi there! Are any of you pikachu trainers?", she asked politely.

We all shook our heads to indicate we were not. "Yours are so cute, though," Cole added, as if to make up for our collective lack of pikachu.

"Thank you," she said sheepishly. "Well, if any of you know any pikachu trainers, send them my way. I can teach them Volt Tackle!"

We nodded and thanked her, then continued on our way, heading next into Olivia's Jewelry Store.

"It sells all of the evolutionary stones, as well as any other 'stone' that can be held by a Pokemon. Any you can think of," I began to explain.

"Needless to say, there's plenty of lovely jewelry as well," Cole added. "In case you have a lady you're trying to impress", he finished with a wink.

Brock blushed a bit but before he could emit a verbal response, Olivia approached us.

"Aiden! Good to see you, sir," she said politely, her voice confident. "And who are you two gentlemen?", she continued, addressing Cole and Brock.

"I am Cole," said my boyfriend, bowing his head slightly.

Meanwhile, Brock's entire face lit up for a second, only for his expression to be replaced by one of panic. "HIIAMBROCK" was all he managed to say. I looked at him, in part incredulous to see such an accomplished and intelligent man reduced to this, but it also made me wonder if this is how I acted when I first met Cole.

Olivia, however, just laughed. "Nice to meet you both. Let me know if any of you have any questions," she said before turning to walk away. Brock looked like he had a question or two for her, but he held his tongue until Olivia was out of earshot.

"Wow, what a beautiful woman," he said to us in a hushed voice.

"And she specializes in rock pokemon too! You have that in common, at least," I said with an encouraging wink.

"Hmm…fellas, give me a moment," he said, beginning contemplatively and concluding with determination. With that, he walked away. Cole and I began to goof around, trying on rings and necklaces and giggling like idiots.

"Better watch yourself, Aiden. Just imagine the headlines if the wrong person sees you all bejeweled like that," Cole teased.

"Hey, I look fabulous, I bet! This could be an ad campaign. Everyone would want to wear these jewels, so they can glimmer like the Champion" I shot back, posing a little bit to show off my jewels.

Cole laughed. "Hmm, you might onto something, babe. Want to ask Olivia if you can start modeling for her store? She probably wouldn't mind having a big name to associate with the brand!"

I giggled, then looked across to the other side of the store, where her and Brock were deeply immersed in conversation. "Hmm, it looks like she's a little busy at the moment," I said, gleeful at what could be happening. They'd be a great match, save for the distance. Hmm…

My thoughts were interrupted by the flash of Cole's phone as he took a picture of me; I forgot I was still wearing a ring, a pair of earrings and a necklace, none of which matched.

"Hey, that's actually quite elegant, baby!" Cole said, laughing mischievously.

"Let me see it!" I said, slightly indignant.

"Hold on, babe," he said as he thumbed through his phone.

"Don't you dare…", I began.

"…send it to Lillie, Hau and Ash? Too late!", he said with a grin that I swear was pure evil.

"YOU DID NOT!", I said, raising my voice slightly.

"Ssh! You don't want to make a scene, babe," Cole hushed.

I sighed. I guess it didn't matter if my friends saw the picture. Noticing my silence, he assumed victory and decided to at least show me the picture as an act of consolation.

"Hey, that actually is kind of pretty!" I said, pleasantly surprised. The jewels weren't something I'd make a habit of wearing but at least I wore them well.

As I began to remove the items and put them back where I found them, Brock rejoined us.

"What have you two been up to?", he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What have YOU been up to," Cole retorted.

"Well, I now have dinner plans for tonight," he said, blushing but confident.

"That's awesome!", I approved.

"Yes yes…well guys, I should actually get going now. I'll need to meet my client on the outskirts pretty soon," Brock informed.

"Aw that's too bad. I'm glad we got to spend some time with you, though!"

"Yeah me too. Who is this client, by the way?"

Brock chuckled. "You've probably heard of them. The Aether foundation?"

"You're working with Aether?" I was not expecting that answer. It seemed like it could be a good fit, though, considering the improvements and changes the organization has made in the last couple of years.

"We shall see; I will keep you updated one way or another. Wish me luck, sirs!", said Brock.

"Good luck! With both the meeting and the dinner," Cole said.

"Yes good luck…and please tell Ash and Gary we say hi!", I added.

With that we parted ways. We didn't stay in Konikoni city for much longer; just long enough to peruse the apparel shop. Not long after, we were leaving the city but we had hardly made it to Memorial Hill before we were stopped again. This time, however, I did not recognize the voice.

"Cole?", we heard. We turned around to find a young man around Cole's age with blond hair and blue eyes. He was good looking but generally unremarkable, though there was something in his eyes that I did not like. Something between determination and malice.

"Hello again, Patrick," Cole said, trying his best to conceal his exasperation.

"Funny I should run into you again, handsome." He turned to me, perhaps noticing my bemused expression. "Who's the kid?", he asked, almost as if he was trying to pick a fight.

"Patrick, this is—", Cole began but I interrupted, annoyed by Patrick's tone.

"This 'kid' is Alola's first and so far only Champion, thank you. And my name is Aiden," I spoke with a fiery determination that I hadn't used since my Island challenge.

"Alola's champion, huh? Nice to meet you, Aiden," Patrick said, his tone changing slightly.

Cole put his hand on my shoulder. "Yeah. Anyway, we should get going."

Patrick frowned. "So soon? I was hoping for a chance to challenge Alola's champion!"

"We don't have time for you. Aiden, let's go," Cole said to me, not amused by his ex's behavior. I gave some sort of wave-like gesture to at least acknowledge Patrick before we walked away. We were stopped when a Pokeball flew over and landed in front of us, revealing a mightyena. Patrick caught up with the pokemon, looking more smug than he had a right to look.

"Are you sure you don't want to battle? You're not scared are you?". His voice had to be the most annoying thing I had heard since having to deal with Team Skull back in the day.

We continued to try to ignore him, but as we began to step away, I heard him call out.

"MIGHTYENA! USE NIGHT SLASH!"

What happened next happened faster than I could have imagined.

After Patrick called the attack but before his pokemon executed it, I almost instinctively grabbed and dropped Primarina's pokeball. She emerged just in time to block the other pokemon's attack with her tail.

She looked back to me. Our eyes locked for a second and she nodded in understanding.

I crossed my wrists as my Z-Ring lit up, then gracefully I moved my arms to emulate the movement of the ocean's waves. A blue light surrounded me, then it traveled to surround Primarina, who took over from here. She began to sing a simple melody, acapella. Imbued with the power of the Z-Crystal, her song created a small tempest; swirling and raging and quickly contorting itself into an orb that continued to grow as she sang.

As her voice went higher in pitch, the storm orb began to travel towards our assailants. I could see them from the corner of my eye, looking fearful, but I wasn't focussed on them. We were ready for the finale. As Primarina reached the climax of the piece; the highest note, held for several seconds, the watery orb moved itself on top of Cole's ex and his pokemon and quickly descended upon them. On impact, both human and pokemon were sent flying.

When the rain cleared, I noticed that a crowd had gathered. After a moment of silence, uproarious applause ensued. Primarina took a bow as Cole ran up and took me in his arms, kissing me all over my face.

That night at the hotel, we spoke of the day's events.

"So Cole…was he like that when you dated?" I was curious.

"No, but I can see why he was acting that way. He was the jealous type, and greedy. That's why he wanted to join Team Flare. He really thought he would have a better life; that everything would eventually belong to Team Flare," he explained.

"Well, it sounds like you made the right choice," I concluded.

"Definitely. Hey, do you want to see what your friends had to say about that picture from the store?" Cole changed the subject.

"Oh sweet Arceus, I forgot. But sure…lets see it," I said with the faintest tinge of apprehension as Cole handed me his phone. I opened it to see the following conversations:

—

Lillie: *heart emojis in every color* He's so beautiful!

Cole: I know, right? *blushing smiley and flirtatious side eye emojis*

Lillie: So, you got me those jewels, didn't you?

Cole: What? No, Lillie, we already left!

Lillie: *several angry-face emojis*

Lillie: DAMNIT, COLE! I WANT THOSE JEWELS! I'd wear them even better than Aiden! Or at least just as well!

Cole: Are you challenging my man?

Lillie: WHAT IF I AM?

Cole: Hahaha. I miss you. I know Aiden does too.

Lillie: YES. We need to get together again soon!

—-

Ash: HAHA! Y'all are so cute.

Ash: But not as cute as Gary

Cole: Of course you'd think so. Lets agree to disagree, shall we?

Ash: That's probably for the best, yes.

Cole: Oh! Ash, we ran into a friend of yours.

Ash: WHO?

Cole: Brock! And he's probably having dinner with one of our Kahunas as we speak?

Ash: Brock's doing what with whose Kahuna now?

Cole: …never mind. Can't wait to see you guys for the wedding!

Ash: HAHAHAHA Yeah, me too!

—

Hau: *responds with a picture of Gladion in a flower crown, looking super grumpy*

Cole: HAHAHAHA WHAT? He looks like a grumpy litten!

Hau: A litten would light those flowers on fire, though! He's more like a grumpy purrloin.

Cole: omg that's perfect! *laughing with tears in eyes emoji*

Cole: …I'd show Aiden but he's currently kicking the crap out of my ex.

Hau: Wait, what? O_O

Cole: The ex started it.

Hau: Figures. GO AIDEN!

—


End file.
